New in Town
by baconalia
Summary: Chrissy was a sheltered college student pulled away from a life she adored because of her parents' failing finances. After moving to Charlestown she realizes just how dangerous the world can be.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I ended up rewatching The Town and my feelings still went all over the place. I could probably talk for days on end about the movie but I'll spare you folks the pain of listening to that.

Dusting off this old fic and polishing it up a bit but I'm not too sure how well this'll turn out.

I hope I can portray the characters accurately and if they start to get a little off kilter, please let me know.

_**Disclaimer**_: I own nothing except my own ideas and characters (unfortunately).

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The darkened room did little to ease her racing mind. She had lived in this sketchy little city for almost a month now but Chrissy still hardly dared to step outside, especially after dark. During the day she could always feel the peoples' eyes watching her and staring her down, her mind feeding her awful thoughts of what they could be thinking. Her foreign accent did little to help her situation and until she had moved out here, the young woman was unaware that she even _had_ an accent. Her only hope was that it wasn't as coarse sounding as that of the 'natives'.

As she closed her eyes, she could hear and see the events that lead to her being stuck in this… undesirable town. She sighed softly, already she missed the west coast.

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"_You have got to be kidding me! Do you really think that I'd be okay with this?" The young woman's tone of voice was rising to dangerous ground and the distortion caused by the phone sure as hell wasn't helping. "Chrissy, calm down and just hear your mother and I out for a moment, please?" The man at the other end of the line took the groan of frustration as a sign to continue. "We just don't have the money anymore, prices and bills keep going up. It's either we move somewhere cheaper or we lose everything." "Oh so you think that cutting off my college education to help you guys move and help provide for you is okay? Dad, if you don't have a degree you sure as shit won't get a job anywhere, and I don't plan on flippin' burgers for the rest of my life!" There it went again, her voice rising to an even higher level and becoming dangerously close to screeching. _

"_Chrissy! That is enough!" Her father all but shouted in to the phone. Granted the phone toned down the volume a bit but it still made Chrissy cringe. "Chrissy, the school year is almost over anyway; you've barely got 4 weeks left before you're off for summer again. It's not really that big of a deal. Besides, you can go back to school once we move and it'll probably be easier to pick up a job anyway." _

"_Okay, you know what? Fine. I give in. I give up. I surrender. Whatever. Just pull me out of school, no big deal, right? Where the fuck are we moving to anyway?" She swore she could hear her father cringe and her choice of words. "Charlestown." There was a moment a silence from the other end of the line before Chrissy spoke again. "Where the fuck is that?" "Boston." "Oh you've got to be shitting me. Seriously? Seriously?" She was screeching now._

"_Honey, calm down. You'll be fine. I'm sure you can make some more friends and you're old enough to drive back home and visit your friends." "That's cute dad, it really is. You may've not noticed but I'm not exactly the most outgoing person- being an introvert and all that. Besides, it's just awkward. I'm what, 22? And I'm still not financially independent 'cause I'm always helping you guys out. I shoulda just taken out those loans for school, and then I wouldn't have to worry." _

_That was perhaps the only time she ever lashed out at anyone, let alone her parents. What happened most often was she would give a slight nod of her head, avert her eyes and just go with the flow._

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><em>A few weeks later<br>_»-«»-«»-«»-«»-«»-«

"_Well no wonder you guys got this place for so cheap. Just look all around you. This place redefines ghetto." It was muttered but somehow her aging mother still heard it and shot the younger woman a look of 'don't start'. The neighborhood looked like it had never seen a good day. Cars were parked up and down the curbs, over grown grass and weeds had grown everywhere. The sidewalk was cracked and most of the houses had a small chain link fence surrounding them- as if that would protect the house and its occupants. _

_Even though the sky was clear and sunny, nothing could shake Chrissy's feeling about this place. For the time being, the neighborhood was quiet and not a soul was in sight. That alone was enough to unnerve her but she didn't have the chance to dwell on such feelings as she helped carry a few boxes in to the tiny house. She scoffed at the thought, figuring it should be described as an apartment more than a house. _

_The boxes were few in number seeing as how her parents chose to sell most of the belongings simply because they didn't want to deal with the hassle of moving things, plus they had needed a little extra cash on the side. Unpacking didn't take long.  
><em>

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Her hazel eyes snapped wide open before squinting against the brightness of the small digital clock that was placed to her right. She realized with a groan that it was 2 in the morning, so she had slept for about an hour.

Realizing that the concept of sleep wasn't going to become a reality any time soon, Chrissy rolled out of her bed; the cold air against her bare legs and the wood floor against her feet rushed through her like a jolt of electricity, erasing any sleepiness from her body. She fumbled around in the darkness for a pair of sweatpants, reveling in the warmth they brought to her skin as they protected her legs from the cold air. Her light brown hair was still in a bun, although it was rather mussed from sleep and several strands were falling out to frame her face.

She climbed up on top of her makeshift desk and leaned up against the window, momentarily pulling away as the glass cooled her skin. Apprehensively, she leaned back up against the window and shivered at the sudden cold once more. Before long, the cold was forgotten. Using her feet, she slid a well-loved book towards her hands, her fingers gingerly stroking the worn and frayed paper. There was just barely enough light shining in through from the streetlights outside to make the printed text visible with minimal squinting. Not desiring a migraine, she pulled out a small book light and turned it on, narrowing her eyes once more before they adjusted to the brightness it provided.

And so there she sat, reading a book that had seen better days. Slowly she began to leave the real world behind, becoming completely absorbed in the novel. Reading was her passion, her escape.

Her mind snapped back to reality as the sound of shouting entered through the open window. Even though she could barely make out the figures of the people, it wasn't that hard to tell that they were fighting. Granted it was only verbally but from the looks of things, the situation was escalating and she watched in shock as she saw the two start throwing punches. And as quick as the small brawl started, it ended but still she couldn't tear her eyes away from the street. Only when she realized that the two were staring her direction, did Chrissy panic and move. She snapped the book light off, quickly flipping the off switch and slid down from her desk before moving to the far corner of her room where the small bed was tucked away.

No, sleep would not come for a long time now. Not with panic racing through her body.

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"Th'fuck was that?" Jem snapped, his light eyes narrowed in the darkness. "Easy man, just the new folks. They haven't caused any problems an' I doubt they're gonna start." Jem begrudgingly accepted Doug's words but it didn't change the fact he was itching for a fight. Doug was the reasonable one, he always was, always kept his head screwed on straight too. "C'mon Jem, lets go back inside b'fore ya do somethin' you regret." The taller man ushered his shorter companion back in to the squalid place they called home.

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A/N: Okay, I hope that wasn't too shitty or confusing- or all of the above. It's mildly difficult for me to type out their accents but I'm doing the best I can.

Reviews are always welcomed, along with constructive criticism.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N:

**Dmfritsc:** You are such the flatterer! Thank you for your kind reviews, hopefully you continue to enjoy the story!

_**Disclaimer**_: I own nothing except my own ideas and characters (unfortunately).

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When sleep finally did come, it seemed that dawn came even faster. The warm morning light engulfed the room, forcing Chrissy awake. Sleep plagued her mind and body as she refused to move from the warm confines of her bed. With a start, she realized that her family would be celebrating her mother's birthday tonight. For a few more moments she continued to lie in bed before mustering the necessary energy to prepare herself for the day.

She impassively noted that the slow oncoming clouds threatened for a cold day- not that the weather would have any influence on her choice of attire. Her fingers curled around a pair of jeans and a faded black hoodie. It took a few moments for her to pull the clothes on and even longer to find a pair of matching socks before giving up and settling for one sock with green stripes and another with blue- no one would see them anyway. Chrissy glanced up in to the mirror and grimaced slightly at her appearance and began searching for her small bag of make up.

No more than a half hour later, she deemed herself mildly presentable but to whom, she didn't really know or care. Digging around in her wallet she pulled out $20 in an assortment of fives and ones, with a ten thrown in somewhere. The money was shoved deep in to her pocket buried by her cell phone. On a small piece of paper she scribbled down the address for the local flower shop, figuring that flowers would be a suitable gift for her mother. She headed to the kitchen, grabbing her set of keys from inside the drawer as well as a piece of paper on which she hastily scribbled a note stating that she would be back soon. It wasn't necessary for her to tell her parents anymore but she felt it was the right thing to do, seeing as how they had a tendency to fret every time she went to run an errand.

The front door gently shut behind her and was easily locked before she headed down the short steps to the sidewalk. Unsure of which direction to head, Chrissy decided to go right, she figured that if she got lost someone would be kind enough to point her in the right direction. She jammed her hands into the large front pocket of her jacket and curled her fingers together around the slip of paper. As she walked, her eyes were mainly focused on the ground in front of her and every few moments she'd glance around to make sure she wasn't about to have a head on collision with anyone.

Only moments after the young woman ducked her head down did she see the oncoming pair of black shoes. Her head snapped up and she scrambled to step to the side but still her shoulder collided with the man who had now come to a screeching halt. " 'Ey how's about ya watch where yoah goin' ya little piece of shit." Fear was written all over Chrissy's face as she took a few steps back from the man who looked ready to snap. "I'msorry. I'msosorry." It came out in a trembling voice as a jumble of words and was repeated as though it had become her new mantra. "Pleasedon'thurtme. I'msosososorry."

It came out in another rush of words that she couldn't control. She watched as the man's hands balled in to fists before uncurling once more but his expression remained unchanged, anger was still strong in his bright blue eyes. "Next time, watch where ya goin' 'cause you won't be so lucky." It came out as a threatening snarl, causing Chrissy to cower slightly. As he walked away, she cast a quick glance back at the man and narrowed her eyes trying to focus on what was on the back of his neck. She gave up trying to figure it out and just settled for wondering why someone would get a tattoo on the back there anyway. She didn't dare continue on her way until he was halfway down the street.

She made it the rest of the way to the flower shop without any more incidents. Fortunately, the shop was no more than 2 miles or so from her house so it wasn't that far of a journey. The woman pulled open one of the glass doors, listening to the gentle chime of the bells that signified a new customer.

A burly man with a sour expression sat in the corner by the register while a much older man sat behind the counter, cleaning up the stems of a set of red roses. The smell inside the shop was heavenly and slightly sweet, helping to calm her anxiety. She took a few more cautious steps up to the counter, unsure how to go about her business. "Can ah help yew miss?" The old man seemed friendly enough and the accent was almost pleasing to listen to.

Chrissy smiled nervously, her fingers curling together in her pocket once more. "I was wondering if I could buy some flowers." Her voice came out much quieter than she had intended but the elderly man still heard her. She watched as the elderly man looked up and studied her intently, she glanced down feeling incredibly awkward. "What flowers ya lookin' to buy?" "J-just some roses, if that's alright." A slight tremor had made its way through her voice and the old man had a small smile on his face and he gave her a slight nod.

She had just finished pulling the crumpled bills from her pockets and paying when the bell chimed again, signaling the entry of another customer. " 'Ey, Fergie!" The voice shouted causing Chrissy to noticeably flinch. She grabbed her change and jammed it in to her pockets, mumbling a quick thanks to the florist before she turned around. Her eyes landed on the man that had walked in behind her and almost instantly she felt panic rise in her chest and her eyes widened in fear. There was no way that she _couldn't_ recognize that face or the eyes. She clutched the small bouquet of roses to her body and quickly glanced down to the ground, her arms trembling. Chrissy carefully inched by the man, fearing that he would lash out at her but he made no movement towards her; instead he headed towards the man- Fergie. She saw a glimpse of the tattoo from the corner of her eyes but gave it no heed.

Her walk home was much less eventful and for that, she was grateful. She stood in front of the door, cradling the flowers in one arm as she fiddled with the lock. Finally the key turned and she was able to push the door open. The house was still relatively quiet and she figured her parents were still resting. Closing the door and locking it behind her, Chrissy made her way in to the kitchen and turned on the sink. She carefully set the flowers on the counter and began searching through the cabinets for a small vase. There was a soft clinking of glass as she pushed the dishware aside and removed a small vase. She gave it a quick rinse and carefully placed the roses inside, making sure not to catch her fingers on any thorns.

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Chrissy couldn't help but smile as her mother fawned over the small bouquet of red roses, much like a mother over a new child. "I'm glad you like them mom. I thought they'd remind you of home, y'know, with the rose garden?" Her mother had a wistful smile on her face as she recalled the small rose garden at their old house. She motioned for her mother and father to stay seated as she began picking up the dishes and carrying them to the sink to wash them. "I'm gonna take a walk in a bit, maybe grab some coffee too. Is that okay?" "That's fine dear, just keep your keys and phone on you." "I know mom, I'm not a little kid anymore."

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It was dark by the time Chrissy had finished cleaning up the kitchen. She jammed her keys back in to one of her pockets, her fingertips hovering over the metal doorknob. She was apprehensive about going out but eventually her desire for coffee won her over. Once more Chrissy went through the ritual of closing and locking the door. A small chill went down her spine and she crammed her hands back in to her jacket pocket to keep them warm. She hesitated at the bottom of the steps, debating which way to go to get to a small market she had in mind. Remembering what happened the last time she went right, Chrissy figured she'd best go left this time.

There was very little activity on the streets; a few houses had the interior lights turned on and the occasional yelling people. It would take her a long time to get used to this. Unlike earlier, Chrissy's eyes were now darting about and looking everywhere. Charlestown was a whole other world when it was dark. As she continued down the street, she realized she could hear more and more people. She cringed as the shouts grew louder and the sound of breaking glass could be heard. Fearful for her safety, Chrissy began walking much faster. It took a few moments for her to realize that there was a second set of foot steps following behind her. She sped up even more, close to breaking in to a light jog. "Hey. Kid!" The voice had a heavy Bostonian accent so it took her a few moments to understand what was being said. The male voice repeated itself and this time Chrissy made the mistake of hesitating and a hand clamped down on to her shoulder, whirling her about.

Already her heart was racing and adrenalin was coursing through her body. The man that stood before her easily had 4 to 5 inches of an advantage. Her eyes rapidly scanned the face and Chrissy wasn't sure if she should be glad or worried that it wasn't the man from her previous encounters. She gently shrugged the man's hand from her shoulder and took a few cautionary steps backwards. The man seemed surprised too because for the most part he genuinely thought she was some kid out to cause problems on what he considered to be his turf but now that he realized she wasn't, his mind turned to other things- like money.

She heard the sound of glass shattering and several other pairs of footsteps. Her eyes darted about, trying to focus in the darkness. She felt a warm breath of air against her right ear, sedning a chill down her spine and she fought against the urge to face that direction. Instead she continued to focus on the man in front of her, the one that stopped her. "He uh, I don't mean to cause any trouble, I'm just out to go get some coffee, y'know?" Her voice quivered with fear as she desperately searched the man's face. "Yew a foreigna ahn't yew?" His eyes narrowed slightly as he studied the woman, unable to place her accent. "Y-yes sir. I just barely moved here. Please, I'm just gonna go get some coffee; I'm not causin' anybody any harm, am I?"

Chrissy watched in horror as the man reached behind his back. She decided not to wait and find out what it was. She whirled around rapidly, yanking her wrist free from a grabbing hand. Adrenalin began making a second course through her body as she sprinted down the sidewalk skittering left around the corner. She could hear the shouts and footsteps of men behind her as she quickly dashed around another corner. Her breath started to come in ragged gasps and she stared in fear at the fence in front of her. Panic drove her forward once more as the footsteps grew closer.

She took a few steps back before sprinting at the chain link fence, jumping at the last possible moment. She dug the toes of her shoes between the links and hers hands curled around the bar at the top as she less than gracefully clambered over and dropped to the grass on the other side, the fence rattling slightly. Her eyes darted about quickly trying to reorient herself. There was a house not too far from where she stood; some of the interior lights were still on, which she took to be a good sign. Chrissy took a cautious step forward before breaking in to a light jog. She heard the chain link rattle and then the voices yelling at each other, arguing whether or not it was worth the risk. Apparently they though that the amount of money Chrissy had on her was worth it because she heard a dull thud on the grass behind her.

She figured that she had at least a 20 foot head start against these guys but still she shifted from a light jog to something a bit speedier. A gunshot rang out causing her to flinch and duck slightly before standing and making a beeline sprint to the door, slamming her fists against it furiously. Within moments the door was flung open and Chrissy was face to face with a very angry looking man with an all too familiar face. She took a panicked step back as he glowered down at her shaking form, her eyes darting about like a trapped animal. For a brief moment she saw recognition flash in his eyes before it was replaced with the same look of anger. "Oh gods, I'm so sorry." Now she had to make the split second decision of who it would be worse to face and she decided she'd rather have to go up against one guy than god knows how many.

"Please… you have to help me, t-they're after me!"

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A/N: Herpaderpa-whut? I'm attempting to master the art of writing the Boston accent.

This was also much longer than I originally intended it to be buuuuut… I didn't feel like splitting it up and so yeah.

The usual message goes here.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N:

**Dmfritsc:** Omg I was eating when I read your comment. I somehow managed to keep the food contained in my mouth and not choke on it either! XD Oh god, now the word _**b'daydas**_ is stuck in my head… fuuuuu-. I love your reviews my dear! (:

**Anne:** Thank you so much! I'll work on describing them a bit more! Sometimes I forget to do that because I worry about getting 'too wordy' yknow? And I try to update weekly but sometimes it happens every few days.

_**Disclaimer**_: I own nothing except my own ideas and characters (unfortunately).

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The man's eyes narrowed again as if he was seriously contemplating ignoring her plea for help. "Ya th'one they shootin' at?" Her answer was a rapid nod and as if on cue another shot rang out but this time it was accompanied with the sound of shattering glass. This sent the man in to a flying rage. "Inside. Now," he snapped as he stepped outside and pulled a small caliber handgun from the back of his pants.

Chrissy ducked inside, trying to find a rear exit to the building because she sure as hell didn't want to be stuck in here with another gunman. She heard muffled yelling coming from outside and quickly ducked through the house before ending up in the kitchen. She was about to reach for the back door when she heard a slight cough, freezing her in her tracks. She turned around slowly, holding her hands up slightly as she saw another man enter the room. The one was taller, much taller than the one who opened the door but he seemed friendlier. "I was just about to lea-" she was cut off by the sound of the front door slamming shut. The taller man glanced away towards the front door and Chrissy took this opportunity to reach for the doorknob once more.

"Na-ah. Weah do ya think yoah goin'?" Chrissy cowered slightly, like a puppy that knew it was about to get beaten. "I'm sorry; I was just about to leave! I swear! I don't mean to cause any problems!" She didn't dare glance up at the men that stood in front of her until the taller one reached above her to carefully shut the door. The shorter one was slightly red in the face and from the looks of things, still fuming. The taller man glanced between the two and ushered his friend out of the room while addressing the girl, "stay."

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"Jem, ya bettah calm yourself. The poor girl shaken up and seein' you like this is _not_ helping." "Doug-" "Don't staht. Calm the fuck down so we can figuah out what the fuck's goin' on."

Chrissy hadn't moved an inch when the men stepped back in to the room. The taller one motioned for her to take a seat at the cluttered kitchen table. Noticing her apprehension, a half smile appeared on his face. "It's okay, we don't bite." Still, Chrissy was being cautious and decided to pick the chair farthest away from the two that were now sitting.

"Jem, can ya clean th'fuckin' table?" And sure enough the table was cleaned and by cleaned, what really happened was everything got shoved to the side, some of the stuff finding a new home on the floor. The taller man sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger but refrained from saying anything. It was a few awkward moments before anyone spoke. Chrissy was trying not to wrinkle her nose at the smell of the house, from the looks of it, cleaning wasn't the top priority.

"Ya wanna explain how ya ended up here?" The taller man was taking charge of the conversation because he knew that it was better him than Jem who would probably scare the girl shitless again.

She glanced down to her hands for a moment before she looked up at the table and then the man. "I was out to get coffee 'cause we ran out at home and I ran in to those guys and…and I-" she had to pause to compose herself with a few deep breaths. "And I ran. And they chased me and I dunno what they wanted and I kept running and hopped a fence and kinda ended up here." Both the men studied her curiously; her accent was just as strong to their ears as theirs' were to hers.

"Yoah a foreigna ahn't ya?" It was the shorter one this time, Jem. Chrissy nodded slightly, not knowing if she should bring up the events from earlier in the day. "I just moved here a few weeks ago so I really don't know anything about this city." The taller man nodded slightly, "it's not th'best idea to go walkin' around at night. 'Specially if yoah new heah." Chrissy nodded again trying to keep the sarcasm from entering her voice, "yeah I think I've figured that one out now."

She propped her elbows up on the table and buried her face in her hands, suddenly exhausted.

"Yoah lucky that Jem let ya in. He doesn't exactly do that with strangahs." This caused her to attempt a smile. "Well I guess I'm pretty lucky then, huh?" She watched as Jem studied her face and his expression suddenly shifted as though he had just put the puzzle pieces together. "You were at the flohist weren't ya?" She gave a slight nod, confirming his statement, "and on the sidewalk." The only response from the men after that was a slight huff before Jem spoke again.

"You bettah not come knockin on my doah no more, I ain't gonna save ya a second time." Chrissy nodded eagerly, anxious to get out of this strange house. She was about to stand up to leave when the taller one motioned for her to stay seated. "I'm sure Jem's got coffee in here somewhere, it's the least we can do."

"No, no. It's okay. You guys kinda already saved me, if anything I owe _you_ guys, not the other way around. Besides, I don't even really know you an-" she was cut off by a burst of laughter from both the men. Suddenly embarrassed, her cheeks flushed a light red and she ducked her head in shame, digging her nails in to the palm of her hand. It took both the men a few moments to regain their composure. "What, y'think we're gonna hurt ya? If Jem wanted ya to get hurt he wouldn't'a let you in." Jem turned to face the other man who was currently rifling through the cabinets, "aw Doug yoah messin' everything up."

Doug and Jem- Chrissy would have to remember that.

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Before long there was an old mug full of 'coffee, regulah' sitting in front of Chrissy. A small smile appeared on her face as she inhaled the strong aroma. However it still didn't change the fact she was sitting in a kitchen that had seen better days with two random men. The awkward silence was unbearable and she fidgeted slightly in her seat and both the men watcher her, beers in hand. Jem had found his ashtray under a pile of stuff and was happily burning through cigarettes. Chrissy tried to ignore the pungent smell of the smoke but it seemed to seep in to everything and for a few moments, she thought she could _taste_ it. It was hard to tell since she already had the flavor of the coffee in her mouth.

Chrissy stared down in to her cup, chewing slightly on the inside of her lower lip, "so uhh…" She paused trying to figure out what to say. "Thanks for kinda saving my ass back there and for the coffee." She rubbed the back of her neck slightly, "I really think I should get going though. My parents are probably worried si-" "Yoah pahents?" Both Jem's and Doug's eyebrows shot up though Jem was the one to speak. "How old ah ya?" Chrissy glanced down and muttered her reply of, "22." Doug let out a low whistle and clapped his friend on the back, trying to stifle his laughter after whispering something into Jem's ear. The woman shrugged, "it's a long story, I'd rather not explain. But I really, really need to get going. Thank you again, so much. Really, I appreciate it."

With that, Chrissy gently scooted her chair back and took her half empty mug to the sink to quick rinse it out, it was the least she could do. "Uh..," Doug paused for a moment, unsure of the woman's name. "Chrissy." "Uh Chrissy, where do ya live?" "Couple blocks away. Why? Do I gotta worry about people busting through my front door now?" This earned her a snort of amusement. "Jem make sure she doesn't have a repeat on the way home." Both Chrissy and Jem stared at Doug in shock and protested loudly. "Oh, no, no, its okay! I'll be fine, I can take care of myself. I doubt I'll run in to them again anyway." "I ain't no babysittah Doug!" But Doug wouldn't relent, "I don't want the thought of some innocent girl getting' killed on my conscious." His tone made it clear that the topic was no longer up for debate.

The two awkwardly shuffled out of the house and Chrissy looked around, still disoriented. It pained her to say the words, but it was true. She was kind of lost. "So uh, I don't really know how to get home…" Jem raised a brow and let out a short bark of laughter. "You really are a foreigna. Where do ya live?" She cast her glance down and quickly gave him the street name and they headed off in the direction of her home, the awkward silence only increasing.

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A/N: So this chappie was mildly iffy, but it'll get better, I PROMISE!

I've been working on the accents; hopefully it's not too overdone! I just feel so accomplished for being able to phonetically spell things. Hopefully it's not too much but yeah. I tried to keep our boys in character the best I could.

You know the drill.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Things are gonna start pickin' up now, awww yeeeeee. Unf, lookit all deesee shoutouts, awww yeeeeee.

**Dmfritsc:** D'aww. Well that's how I saw him most of the movie, angry and always ready to fight. There were only a few times where he was actually kinda relaxed y'know? I had some b'daydas at breakfast…

**Rachael:** Thank you so much!

**Anne:** /victory fist pump…again/ Awwww yiiiisss. I'm glad I'm making him seem even more BA (cause that's always awesome, amirite?) I totally choked on my drink when I read your comment. I also love doing shoutouts becauseee yeeeaaah. : D

**Lordoftheringschick2000:** Thank you so much! I'm trying my best!

_**Disclaimer**_: I own nothing except my own ideas and characters (unfortunately).

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It didn't take long for Chrissy to start recognizing street names. "Y'know, I think I can find my way home from here. You're probably dying to leave or go home or something," she said with a slight laugh and Jem just shrugged. "Just watch yoah step."

Chrissy's eyes narrowed at the cryptic message, trying to decide if the man was actually trying to be helpful or just threatening. She mentally shrugged it off and moved to step towards home, suddenly pausing. "Jem, thanks. I mean it, I really do." The man just gave a shrug in return, having nothing to say in return to that.

And so they went in their respectful directions.

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Months Later…

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She hadn't seen Jem or Doug since that one fateful night and quite frankly, she was kind of happy. As friendly as Doug may have been and even though Jem hadn't harmed her, they still scared her- but then again she regarded most of Charlestown's inhabitants as scary.

Chrissy had finally settled in to life in Charlestown and as different as it was from back home, she was starting to enjoy the town. The accents no longer caused her a problem and although her west coast accent had faded, it was still noticeable to the locals. She had even picked up a few odd jobs here and there but nothing was constant. She hadn't resumed her college education and instead was sending out job applications to as many places as possible, while still avoiding food joints and bars. Most of the time her efforts were fruitless, there was always someone more qualified to take the job.

Money was running tight again and her parents began cutting off everything they could afford to. The lights were hardly used now except when extremely necessary and they had shut off the heating and air condition, much to Chrissy's dismay. She wasn't used to the cold temperatures of the east coast yet so more often than not, her bed would be smothered in blankets. If the money didn't start coming in soon, she wasn't sure what was going to happen. The utilities weren't the only things to suffer, their food did as well. They were living off the cheapest food money could buy, no longer asking questions. Expiration dates on some foods were now being ignored or if the food didn't have a date that was far enough out, it wasn't bought.

It had been two weeks since her last application binge and still Chrissy had heard from no one. Every time the phone would ring, she would jump up with high hopes that it was a company calling her back and every time she was disappointed. But still, she kept hoping and waiting, thinking that maybe today would be different, maybe today, someone would call.

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The loud ringing of the phone still managed to cut through the cocoon of blankets Chrissy was wrapped in and after moments of flailing and thrashing she was free and dashing for the phone.

"Hello?" "Hello, this is Claire Keesey from Cambridge Merchants Bank. Is Christina Miller there?" Chrissy clapped her hand over her mouth and struggled to calm her sudden wave of excitement. "Y-yes. This is she." "Ah yes, I was calling because you submitted an application to us about," there was the sound of shuffling papers, "two weeks ago, for a teller position. Is that correct?" "Yes ma'am." "Okay, good. We would like to have you come in for an interview this week. Is Thursday at 10 AM okay?" "Yes, yes of course! I will be there! Is there any special papers I need to bring?" "No, just your resume and a photo ID." "Okay! Thank you so much! I'll be there!" "Okay. You have a good day now Miss Miller." And with that, the lines disconnected.

Chrissy was careful to set the phone down before letting out a high pitched squeal of excitement. "Mom! Mom mom mom mom!" She half shouted running to the small kitchen, nearly slipping along the way. "Momomomom. I have an interview on Thursday!" Halfway through her sentence she started squealing again jumping up and down with excitement. The sight of her daughter literally jumping for joy brought a large grin to the elderly woman's face. "Oh Chrissy, I'm so proud of you! You must tell your father when he comes home!"

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The days of the week seemed to fly by and the next thing she knew, it was Thursday. Excitement was mixed with nervousness as she pulled on her best clothes for the interview, a simple white blouse and knee length black skirt that was adorned with a small belt. Unwilling to strut through the streets with a pair of heels on, she slipped her feet in to a pair of normal shoes and tucked the heels in to her bag all the while making sure not to crinkle the paper her résumé was printed on. A small was tucked inside the bag as well, containing only a few dollars in cash and an assortment of coins as well as her drive's license.

Chrissy gave a quick huge to her mother and father before scooping up her keys and heading out the front door. Her mind was racing as she ran through the directions over and over again.

She was about a block away from the bank when she ducked in to a small market to ask a worker where the bathrooms were. He pointed her towards the back of the store and she hurried off after a quick thanks.

The bathroom was surprisingly empty but Chrissy paid that no mind as she quickly switched out her shoes and tried to calm the rising butterflies in her chest. A glance at the overhead clock told her that it was about 9:30, giving her half an hour before the interview. "To be early is to be on time and to be on time is to be late," she murmured to herself, hoisting her small bag up on to her shoulder before exiting the bathroom and store.

To her, the bank looked incredibly odd with its brick façade and lack of windows. Despite the fact it was foreign looking to her, Chrissy decided that it was aesthetically pleasing and it certainly fit in with the surroundings. Her hand hovered over the door handles for a split second before she confidently pulled the door open and stepped inside. It was different, way different. The counters were open, no floor to ceiling bulletproof glass lining every teller's section. No little play area for kids either. Unsure of where exactly she was supposed to go, Chrissy stood in the nonexistent line and waited for the next available teller, worse comes to worse, she figured she could always just go under the guise of withdrawing money.

"I can help the next in line." She automatically stepped forward towards the teller who was obviously struggling to look like he enjoyed the job. "Uhm yeah. Hi. Claire Keesey called me the other day? For an interview?" The blank look on the man's face painfully stated that he had no idea what was going on. "Uh-huh. Yeah, Lemme go get her." It took a few minutes of waiting but eventually a woman with dark brown hair stepped out. Her business attire was spotless and perfect, almost intimidating but her warm smile reassured Chrissy.

"Miss Miller, if I'm not mistaken. Please, follow me." And so she was lead in to the back of the bank, trying not to stare at everything as she walked by. They ended up in a fairly small room with only a table and chairs. "Please, take a seat. You are here for the interview, correct?" "Yes ma'am." "Oh, such formalities aren't required here, please, call me Ms. Keesey. Now, let's get down to business."

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The interview went smoothly; the bank manager seemed impressed with Chrissy's résumé even though it wasn't much. She didn't pry too much in to the reasons for moving or why she wasn't continuing her college education and for that, Chrissy was incredibly grateful.

"Alright Miss Miller, thank you for your time. We will contact you within the next few days to inform you if you got the position or not." "Okay, thank you Ms. Keesey, it was a pleasure to meet you. Have a good day!" Chrissy's spirits soared even higher and she resisted the urge to skip out of the bank.

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She didn't have to wait long before receiving the life changing phone call. Chrissy hastily scribbled down the information, training dates, start dates and what hours she was expected to work. The hours required her to be up early in the morning but she couldn't care less- she had a job! Chrissy was slotted to officially start work in about two weeks' time because she to go through training first.

Later that night, the small family celebrated Chrissy's success by opening a small bottle of wine. She wasn't a huge fan of alcohol but she had no qualms with drinking. The lavish praise of her parents filled her head even as she was drifting off to sleep in her bed.

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A/N: DUN DUN DUUUNNNNN. Aww yiis. You know what this means!

Insert the usual R&R message here.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Oh my god, this document is filled with word trying to correct what it thinks are spelling errors. Apparently MWord can't comprehend the beauty of Jem's name or the accents. Fuckin red lines everywhere.

**Dmfritsc: **Perhaaappppssss. But you know, things might end up being different cause Jem's more of a rough-n-tumble kinda guy, yknow? So they're gonna have to work through it. Rocky beginnings and all that. Still… :D

**Anne:** It's okay my dear! Now since I normally don't condone violence of such sorts, I'll just use an inflatable hammer that squeaks. Yes/yes? And don't worry, Jem will start to be featured a loooooot more! ;D

**Savyleec:** I'm glad you enjoy the story so much! ^-^

Disclaimer: Herpaderpaderp. We all know what goes here, folks!

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Training had gone without a hitch and Chrissy was now quite comfortably working at the bank. She enjoyed it not only because she was now able to provide for herself and family once more but because it gave her something to do during the majority of the week. Granted she had to be at work by 8 AM every weekday but once she had gotten used to it, it wasn't that bad. Already she could feel small friendships forming between her and the other tellers and the bank manager wasn't that bad. She was very polite whether it was a customer or an employee.

Most of the people that came through were polite and friendly, which more than made up for the few grumps that would come in and demand their money. Some people just didn't seem to realize that there were procedures that had to be followed.

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It was a sunny morning as Chrissy headed towards work, her heels and personal belongings somehow crammed in to her purse. Sometimes she was convinced that her purse was like Mary Poppins's bag, or a black hole depending on the day. Her parents had left a note in the kitchen, reminding her that they left this morning for the airport because they were visiting friends back home. She wasn't sure how long they'd be gone for but Chrissy felt that they deserved the opportunity to go visit their friends back home.

The morning air still had a bit of a chill but the young woman found it to be rather pleasing, especially since she usually warmed up quite a bit by the time she got to work. She arrived at the bank around 7:30 and made her way inside. A few co-workers were already organizing their workspaces, making sure not to spill any cups of coffee that were placed nearby. Chrissy flashed a small smile and fluttered her fingers in something resembling a wave as a few of the other tellers chirped their morning greetings. Once she was behind her booth, she slipped her purse underneath and quickly pulled on her black heels. Her blouse had come slightly untucked from the form fitting black skirt she wore and she figured it probably happened during her walk over, regardless of how it had happened, she hastily jammed the skirt into her skirt.

A glance at the clock told her that it was now rapidly approaching 8 AM. "Hey, when's pick-up today?" "I dunno, they should be here in a few minutes." The nice thing about the empty bank was that they could call across the room to each other, something that was not allowed during the hours of operation.

As if on cue she saw a red armored truck with 'Cummins Armored' stamped in white on the side pull up outside the windows of the bank. It wasn't her job to handle the pick-up issues so she sent out a quick call to Claire, telling her that the pick-up crew was here.

She was refilling her cup of coffee in backroom downstairs when it happened.

Chaos broke out inside the bank as four men dashed inside, zip tied the doors shut and knocked out the armored guard with the stocks of their weapons. Even though she was in the back of the building, she could still hear the shouting of men and the terrified screams of her co-workers. Fear clutched her heart like a vice as she heard the sound of tables and computer equipment crashing to the floor.

With shaking hands she set the hot cup of coffee back on to the table and tried to quietly make her way to the rear exit of the building. The sound of her heels clicking on the floor sounded deafening in the horrible silence. A rush of footsteps could be heard from behind her and Chrissy quickly ducked around the corner. She heard the sound of the microwave door being opened and the clatter of plastic and metal as something was stuffed inside. The gentle beeping of the buttons came next.

A muffled yelp escaped the hands the she had clapped over her mouth as there was a loud snap, crackle and pop from the microwave. Chrissy pressed her hands harder against her mouth as if it could prevent he person from hearing the noise she already made. She heard the sound of footsteps heading her direction and squeezed her eyes shut. Her breath came out in small ragged gasps as she awaited the inevitable.

Her body flinched as a hand was clapped down on her shoulder and arm. Even muffled, the man's voice was loud. "_Hey! We got one moah hiding out back here_!" One hand was now clamped on to her bicep and she glanced at the masked man in horror as his free hand rested on the gun. Chrissy was practically dragged by the man, stumbling every few steps because she would try to stop and he would shove her forward.

As she was lead up the stairs, Chrissy could only stare in horror at the scene around her. Desks were flipped over, printers, keyboards and monitors were smashed and thrown about. Phones were soaking in some liquid in what used to be a candy dish. With a final shove, she was sent stumbling forward and barely managed to break her fall with her hands. Two of the men turned to face her and momentarily froze and then resumed their act. Within seconds one of the other masked men was over her, yelling.

"_Shoes off sweetheart! Gimme yoah phone, gimme yoah phone!"_

Panicked, Chrissy kicked off her shoes and managed to stammer out, "I-I don't have my phone. It's in m-my bag!" She helplessly watched as they found and destroyed her phone as well. A hand wrapped itself around her arm and forced her off the ground and led her closer to where the others were facedown against the floor. She was none too gently shoved towards the ground beside Claire. Everyone froze when the front doors rattled -a customer wanted in. Chrissy glanced at the woman beside her who had managed to flip the switch for the silent alarm with her bare heel.

Then came the overpowering smell of bleach as the men splashed the liquid everywhere, hesitating only when one of the other's came up the stairs.

"_Hold it! Silent alahm, this address._"

There was a flurry of action as the men scrambled to pick up, except for one of them. He was yelling at the other manager, asking who had set off the alarm. When the man claimed innocence, everyone could only watch as the stock of the rifle came crashing down on to his face multiple times. Another one of the robbers grabbed the enraged man to pull him away, accidentally pulling down the hood in the process thus baring the back of his neck.

Both Claire and Chrissy caught a glimpse of the back of the man's neck where a small, fighting Irish tattoo was visible. Chrissy's hazel eyes shot wide open and she clamped her hands over her mouth to contain her exclamation of surprise and horror.

Her fear kept her immobile as the man walked over and addressed Claire.

"_Where's yoah purse?"_

Chrissy could only watch as Claire was led towards the back by Jem.

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"Takin the scenic route?" Doug questioned Jem, the moment he stepped inside the ice skating rink. Jem let out a huff, "we got a problem." He looked at Doug's questioning face and showed him Claire's ID. Realization dawned on everyone's face as they saw her address and Jem pressed his palm against the wall. "An' we all know who else was theah," he glowered at Doug who just shrugged his shoulders. "Neithah of them saw anything." "An' how can you be sure? How do we know that they don't needa be scared?" Doug sighed, "they're already scared." "Yeah but maybe not scared enough." Doug snatched the ID from Jem's hands.

The other men watched as the two argued over what would be done. Gloansy looked at Doug questioningly. He knew who Claire was but not the other person they were speaking of. "Wait, who else was theah that weah all worried 'bout?" Jem shot Doug a warning glance but it went unheeded. "Jem saved one of the gal's life back there and bumped in to her on a coupl'a occasions, innit that right Jem." Jem's lips twitched as he sought for control over his anger, "yeah. 'Least we know where she lives if she needs t'get scared."

That little interlude hardly broke up the argument between the two, if anything it only made it worse. Jem and Doug were now standing dangerously close, each trying to intimidate the other. "Why you gotta do it? I'll get it done." "I'll do it. You walk within a hundred feet of them, that's 10 years." Doug pocketed the ID as Jem backed off, his mind was already set. Sure, Doug could take care of liability number one but what about number two? he mused. She seemed to have this uncanny ability to always bump in to him.

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By the time Chrissy had made it home, all she wanted was a hug, a good cry and to sleep forever. She was emotionally drained. She turned and shut the front door fiddling with the deadbolt and let out a cry tinged with frustration and despair as the lock got stuck for good. Her palms slapped against the solid wood in anger, tears rolling freely down her face. Her mind was in turmoil as she unwillingly cycled through the majority of her emotions within the next few minutes. It was like being on a roller coaster from hell.

With one last thud of her palm striking the wood, Chrissy turned away to wipe her tears and tried to ignore the burning feeling in her reddened hands. She didn't want to feel anymore, she wanted to be numb. Her slow footsteps brought her to the small kitchen and fridge. She yanked the door open, listening as the glass bottles on the door rattled and clanked against each other before becoming still. Her hands hovered over the dark brown beer bottles as she worked on shoving all thoughts to the side and then firmly grasped four of the beer bottles and a smaller bottle of hard liquor from the freezer. Every bit of her was telling her to stop, that this was a bad idea, but she forced those thoughts in to the corners of her mind.

She grimaced at the somewhat strong smell of the alcohol. It wasn't a terribly dark beer, and was surprisingly 'light; in taste. It started off with a hint of sweetness but was finished with a tad bitter taste. She pressed the bottle to her lips once more, trying to drink without actually tasting it this time.

By the end of the first bottle, she decided it wasn't that bad. And by the second one, she loved it. With the third bottle in hand, she wandered off to her room with only a touch of light-headedness.

In her room, Chrissy turned on the small overhead light before standing in front of her mirror. The woman that stared back at her looked emotionally dead, her mussed hair lying flat and hazel eyes bloodshot from crying. She quickly turned away to fight back another fit of sobbing, biting down on her lip to try and distract herself.

She walked past her window, looking outside for a split second and instantly disregarding the figure that stood in the street as she glanced back at the house phone she had grabbed from the hallway. Chrissy froze and slowly tore her gaze from the numpad and turned her head back to the street, breathing a sigh of relief when she saw it was empty. She took no comfort in the thought of her mind playing tricks on her.

Chrissy kicked her shoes in to her closet and tossed her dirty clothes on the wooden floor. She had the faintest markings of a bruise on her arm from where she was grabbed, but even though it was barely noticeable, it was still tender. "What's one more mark to add to my collection?" Her voice was laced with sarcasm as she spoke to herself in the lonely house. After fishing around her drawer of 'lazy clothes' for a few minutes, she gave up and grabbed an old grey tank top and pair of faded pink sweats and slipped them on with relative ease. Her eyes lingered on her hips and upper thighs for a few moments, glazing over as she stared at the faded pattern of scars that adorned the soft skin. With a clunk she set the third, now empty, bottle on her dresser.

As she walked by her mirror, Chrissy gave herself one last look. A faint smile tried to form on her lips as she saw part of the vibrantly colored peacock tattoo that spanned from her left shoulder blade to most of her back, "at least it's a good memory…"

She flicked the light switch off and shut her blinds, plunging the room in to darkness. Even then, wrapped up in her blankets she didn't feel comforted.

With a sigh she grabbed an armful of the blankets and her pillow, slowly dragging them to the small couch in the family room. Chrissy heaved the pile on to the couch and made her way back to the kitchen grabbing the fourth bottle of beer and the little bottle of Grey Goose. She had never been one to hit the bottle for fear of addiction but now she was already intoxicated and her cares went flying out the window.

She carefully lowered herself on to the couch; the cloth was cool against her skin and smelled faintly of Febreeze. One hand rested on the old remote for the small TV while the other casually held her beer, her plain fingernails tapping a gentle rhythm against the glass.

She lost herself in the TV shows, hardly noticing when the bottle of vodka had replaced the beer. The warm feeling of the alcohol rushing down her throat in to her stomach more than made up for the bite at the beginning. A hum of satisfaction made its way from her throat as she enjoyed the smoothness of the vodka.

At some point she began dozing off, barely remembering to set the nearly empty bottle on the small coffee table before flopping over. She clumsily wrapped herself up in her mass of blankets, inhaling with a contented sigh as the smell of clean linen surrounded her. Before long she drifted off in to a drunken stupor.

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"Doug, she had a phone out!" Jem was seconds away from going off to a blind rage and Doug was struggling to calm the man. "Jem. _Jem!_ Listen! Ya don't know if she was actually callin' anyone! She's already terrified of us and the last thing she needs aftah dealing with a robbery is for ahmed guys to come smashing through her front doah!" He clapped both his hands down on to Jem's shoulders to prevent him from dashing off. "An' how do ya know she wasn't callin' th'cops?" _How d'you know she didn't see nothin'?"_

Doug sighed, "Jem, calm yoahself down. Nobody saw nothin' okay?" His attempts to calm the man were crashing and they were crashing _fast_. "Look Jem, if yoah really worried about it, we can go ovah together, just no hurtin' anyone. Deal?" This placated the angry man, but only slightly.

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The slight rapping at the door didn't even cause the woman to stir. Her blankets were a mess and somehow she had managed to send most of them flying to the floor so only her feet were covered. Her clothes were ridiculously twisted; the tank top ended up getting hiked halfway up her back and the drawstring on the sweatpants had somehow come untied so they ended up sitting just barely at her hipbones.

The knocking continued for a few moments before abruptly stopping. There was the sound of metal twisting and clicking, accompanied by the slight creak of the wooden door as it was gently pushed open. A rush of chilly night air came with the two masked figures that quietly entered the house.

It took the men's eyes a few moments to adjust to the surrounding darkness and the flashes of light from the TV didn't help. The hushed voices that were emitted from the television helped to mask the sound of their footsteps as they approached.

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A/N: Cutting this chappie off here mostly because it's 6 pages and I don't like to run them all together. Sorry for any typos and its _almost_ Friday and I was getting impatient so yea.

And remember kids, this is why we always have WD-40 for when your lock sticks!

Mmm yes, alcohol. On an empty stomach too… Great way to solve problems Chrissy. -_-

R&R!


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: I like how I'm not too lazy to actually type out the disclaimer. I think at this point we all know it though. Sorry for not updating the other story this week, general organic biochemistry is kicking my ass to hell and back.

**Anne:** I'm glad I'm fostering an addiction! It makes me feel…_accomplished_ LOL. Well $20 can buy you a _lot_ of food or cheap things but in terms of for this fanfic, I recommend you hold on to it. (: I'm glad you enjoy this story so much!

Special thanks to all the people who just started following this story as well!

Disclaimer: dhjkslasfd. We know what I own and don't. Photo of the key belongs to KeypersCove. They make beautiful necklaces, I own 3 myself. (Someone needs to ban me from Etsy)

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Doug was the first one to notice the empty bottles scattered on the coffee table and his hand shot out to grab Jem's shoulder in warning. The other man shrugged him off and continued his quiet approach, peering at the woman passed out on the couch. The smell of alcohol permeated the air. Even Jem knew that a lot of alcohol had to be consumed for a place to reek of it.

Chrissy looked so much different from the terrified woman in the bank earlier that morning. Here she looked calm and at peace, her hair falling gently over her face. A few strands would quiver slightly as they were caught by the light puffs of air that would escape the woman's parted lips.

His fierce blue eyes traveled down the woman's sleeping form, a brow arching as he saw part of the colorful tattoo before quickly furrowing as he saw the scars. These didn't go unnoticed by Doug either; he set a hand on his brother's shoulder once more before whispering in his ear. The mask distorted some of the words, but it was still comprehensible.

"_Don't. She ain't gonna be a problem, not when she drunk herself t'sleep. Let it be, we'll be fine and she'll be fine._" But the two couldn't help but worry slightly, from the looks of it she had consumed a great deal of alcohol, probably too much for her body to properly handle.

The woman stirred slightly in her sleep, moving her arms up towards her face. Both of the men froze, their backs blocking the light from the television. There was a slight groan as her eyes opened a crack and rolled about lazily, unable to properly focus on anything. "Dad? Issat you?" Her words were drawn out and slurred together, it was obvious that a majority of the alcohol still present in her system. Neither Jem nor Doug said a word and pressed their luck waiting to see what would happen next.

"I'm sorry about the mess dad. Had a bitta long day annn stuff…" she trailed off mid-sentence by nuzzling her face into the pillow while her hand was flopping around in search of the blankets before giving up a few moments later. A heavy sigh escaped her as she slipped back to sleep.

Doug motioned for Jem to follow him out of the house before tiptoeing out of the room. The temperamental man hesitated for a second and quickly grabbed the blankets, pulling them over the sleeping woman, his rough fingers accidentally brushing against her smooth skin. His fingers lingered for a moment in hesitation before drawing away and the small goose bumps that were left from the presence of his fingers didn't go unnoticed by the man. He made his way to the kitchen and yanked open a drawer in search of pen and paper and when his search was successful he scrawled down a quick note.

"_We'll be watching."_

Content with his deeds, Jem made his way out the front door and was careful not to slam the door shut. He gingerly twisted the doorknob and there was a final click as the hole was sealed.

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Chrissy awoke as the amount of daylight shining through the window gradually increased. The first thing she noticed was the overpowering urge to piss and the second thing she noticed was her head felt like it was being attacked by an army of jackhammers. She clumsily rolled off the couch, narrowly avoiding an empty bottle and began half running, half stumbling to the bathroom.

A few minutes and one empty bladder later, Chrissy was on her way to the kitchen in search of some advil for her throbbing headache. Her hands trembled as she fumbled with the childproof cap for several minutes before she finally managed to open it. She took the pills dry, massaging her temples, "note to self, don't hit it that, hard that fast…" She shuffled over to the coffee pot, suddenly thankful that she had already measured out the coffee grounds and the water the night before. A flip of the switch and her coffee was brewing.

Reaching into the cabinets for a mug, she saw a small slip of paper resting on the counter. Puzzled, Chrissy set the mug down and reached for the paper, unfolding it carefully. Her next breath came as a ragged gasp as she crumpled the paper and threw it across the room as though that action alone would protect her. It bounced off the wall before falling to the floor.

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About two cups of coffee later, Chrissy began to feel more human and her headache was slowly fading. Already her Saturday was off to an interesting start. She slowly made her way back to her room and slipped on a random pair of shoes, momentarily marveling at how odd shoes felt when worn without socks. Her hand reached around in her purse for a few moments before finding her open wallet from which she retrieved about $30.

The money was promptly jammed into her pocket as she made her way back to the front door. The still slightly dazed young woman barely remembered to grab her keys before stumbling out the front door. The sun was blindingly bright and didn't help to alleviate her headache.

It took her twice as long as normal to make it to the grocery store but Chrissy felt a strange sense of accomplishment when she finally made it through the doors. Her trembling fingers wrapped around the handles of a small shopping cart before she made her way to the back of the store where the liquor was kept. She stared blankly at the price tags for a few minutes before the numbers began to register in her brain. She grabbed a case of the cheapest beer with a slight groan as her body protested her actions. Pushing the cart farther along she cringed at the price of the hard liquor and decided she'd rather have coffee instead.

As she turned the corner to push the cart down another isle, she caught a glimpse of a familiar neck tattoo and all but audibly groaned. She carefully navigated around the man, her fingertips trailing the edges of the shelves until she found the brand of coffee she preferred and a suitable creamer. Chrissy turned her head and cast a glance behind her only to see Jem staring up at her with a can of god knows what in hand, his face lacking any emotion. She bit the inside of her cheeks to keep silent and resumed her shopping without a word.

When she made it to the checkout stand, the cashier gave her an odd look. "Innit a bit early t'staht drinkin' beah?" Her returning smile was slightly lopsided. "It's 5 o'clock somewhere isn't it? Besides, I'm saving this for later." A small white lie and her dignity remained intact. Chrissy pushed the crumpled bills towards the cashier and shoved the remaining change back in to the pockets of her sweatpants. "Do you need any help carrying that out to yoah cah miss?" "Oh nah, it's okay. Thanks though!"

The case felt heavy as it was cradled in her arms and the container of creamer and coffee grounds wasn't helping. She cast a quick glance around, staring confusedly at a black truck that was parked at the corner. The young woman disregarded it with a light snort. "Shit's gotta suck to keep clean," she muttered to herself, thankful that no one could hear her.

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Doug cast a glance at Jem, he couldn't understand why the man couldn't just let it be. It was painfully obvious at this point that she wasn't planning on telling the cops anything,_ if_ she even saw something. "Yeah but who th'fuck buys a case of beah, foh themselves?" Doug just sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I dunno man, just let it be. Maybe she's havin' guests ovah or somethin'."

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By the time she got home, Chrissy could've sworn that her arms were ready to commit mutiny and detach themselves from her body. She didn't even bother to put any of the beer away in the fridge before she kicked off her shoes and grabbed a bottle, making a beeline for the couch. "Way to be productive Chrissy. You don't need that liver anyway." She cringed at her internal dialogue before settling in to watch some Spongebob. Sure it was a show for children but at this point, she didn't have a care in the world.

She must have dozed off at some point because when her eyes opened again, she felt like she was burning hot. Chrissy rose, twirling her hair up in her hands before letting it drop loosely back down. Nudging the empty beer can away with her foot, she made her way to the bathroom to take a leak and then turn on the shower water.

Despite her body's current state of temperature confusion, the warm water felt rather pleasant as it splashed against her skin and hair. The gentle smell and tingle of the minty shampoo was invigorating and she scrubbed the dirt from her scalp as if it would help cleanse the rest of her mind.

The bruises on her arm were now a strange mix of red and purple and even though they weren't very bright, they were still fairly noticeable and much, much more tender. She finished rinsing the shampoo from her hair and the soap from her body before stepping from the gentle warmth of the shower to the cold of the bathroom. The sudden chill caused her to inhale sharply as she wrapped the towel even tighter around her body.

Chrissy made her way to her bedroom, leaving a trail of small water droplets where ever she went. She trailed her fingers over a small wooden box that was tucked away within one of her drawers before she gingerly pulled it free and set it atop the dresser. She used her thumb to slide open the latch and gently pried open the painted lid. In terms of contents, the jewelry box didn't hold much, only a few pairs of earrings and a small assortment of rings were placed inside along with a necklace or two. However it was one necklace in particular that had caught her eye and she wouldn't be one to deny that it held some sentimental value. Her thumb brushed over the small gem in the middle and the rest of the design in an almost tender fashion before she grasped the chain to undo the clasp. It took a few moments of struggling, partially due to her shaking hands, before she managed to get the necklace on. The metal of the key was cool against her skin but the sensation only lasted a few moments.

The rest of her attire was more lax. Her days off were her unofficial 'lazy days' so Chrissy didn't put too much thought or effort in to choosing her attire so it pretty much consisted of another pair of sweatpants and a baggy hoodie. She didn't even bother to fish the necklace out from underneath her jacket. Using her fingers as a comb, she quickly detangled her hair and pulled the loose ends out to throw in the trash.

Back to the bathroom she walked, tossing the towel on the floor inside before making her way back to the kitchen once more. She snatched a few cans from the cardboard box and realized that she hadn't been sober for the past 12 hours. The thought was disconcerting but she pushed it away for the sake of feeling numb. The lack of feeling grew more and more appealing with every second that passed.

She moved to the front door and made her way outside, sitting down on the front steps with the can dangling from her hand as she leaned up against the railing to watch the world pass her by. The smell of rain was in the crisp air. A small chill worked its way through her body as her wet hair clung to her skin. Every so often she would bring the can to her lips and take a small sip. She couldn't tell if the beer was any good or if she was just used to the taste at this point.

Her eyes stared dully at the empty street as she tucked the empty can behind her before reaching for another. It took a few moments for her mind to register the figure that walked by.

"Hey, Jem! Jem!" The man froze mid-stride and slowly turned in the direction of the buzzed woman. "Jeeemmmm, come 'ere bud! Have a drink with meeee!" Oh yeah, she was definitely approaching the realm of no return. The man hesitated before backpedaling and making his way up the few steps to stare down at the woman who now had a dopey grin on her face. "Heey! You listened! Sit an' have a drink with me yeaah?" He eyed the line of cans tucked behind her and fought the urge to cringe.

"Ya know what yoah drinkin' is one of th'shittiest beahs, right?" She shrugged, "don' really notice after a few…" "You've had more'n a few if y'think that shits actually _good._" A soft but genuine laugh was issued from the man as another shrug from the woman while her fingers tapped out a random rhythm on the aluminum can. Jem sighed and carefully nudged some cans away before sitting on the step, watching as the girl drew a knee to her chest to rest her chin on.

"Ya nevah struck me as one to like beah this much." He received a snort and harsh laugh in return. "Yeah well, th'concept of numb is hella appealin' right now so sue me." His brow rose slightly, Chrissy was a whole different person after a bout of alcohol. "Tha's not always a good thing y'know." The woman rolled her eyes and struggled to focus on the man beside her, "y'never struck me as the deep an' thoughtful type." Jem brushed the drunken insult off with a shrug and instead chose to shift the topic in a different direction.

"So what's yoah real reason for the sudden beah fest?" He watched curiously as the woman glanced at the concrete steps, her voice suddenly hushed. "I was there y'know- at the bank." When she looked up he was able to see that her eyes were brimming with tears despite her valiant efforts to laugh and smile it off. His expression dropped slightly as the woman was finally able to focus her eyes on him. What she said next caused the man to stiffen.

"It scares me when you get like that y'know."

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A/N:Sorry for any typos etc etc

Because sauced people are fun to talk to. Hopefully she doesn't keep hittin the bottle this hard though, her poor liver. I may/may not explain the scars. Yerp.

Yes I know they aren't literal 'brothers'.

Also, a link to the necklace (because I can't describe things properly right now) will be posted on my profile if you folks are interested.

Aaannndd the truth comes out, awww sheeiiitt.

**R&R**


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: I was conflicted with part of this for a while but then I made my choice. Hopefully you folks approve!

I'm sorry that I haven't updated my 28 Weeks, my muse for that fic is currently dead and/or on vacation so yeah. Hopefully I'll be inspired to write for that soon, I'm just pulling my hair out over school right now so…

**Anne: **You little flatterer! :P I'm glad that you think my fic is one of the best

**Dmfritsc:** Yessss, I had fun writing that part LOL. Don't worry about the pants dropping, they are quite…_unnecessary._

_**Disclaimer**_: I own nothing except my own ideas and characters (unfortunately).

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Jem decided to play it dumb for the sake of information gathering. "When I get like what?" Chrissy's drunken mind just barely registered her previous mistake and was now trying to cover her blunder. "When you get all mad and stuff and start yelling." The man's blue eyes narrowed slightly before he shrugged. "I ain't aimin' t'be friendly."

It was her turn to shrug and then she wheeled the conversation in a new direction with another sip of the brew. She flicked her fingers at one of the unopened can, motioning for him to take it. She would've spoken for him to take it but then beer would have gone everywhere. Still, he understood what she was asking and Jem wasn't one to turn down beer, even if it was the shittiest type in existence.

He watched as her eyes slowly glazed over as she drifted deeper into the darkness of her mind. Then, with a sudden shake of her head, she was back to reality now with the urge to vomit. Chrissy struggled to her feet and nearly succeeded in tripping over the line of cans as she rushed for the door. Frantically opening it she half stumbled and half sprinted for the restroom that was down the hall. Jem could only sit there, mildly amused with the intoxicated woman's antics. He swiftly counted the cans that were outside before he moved inside to take another tally.

As the man approached the kitchen he let out a slow whistle, the case of beer was sitting on the table with the front its cardboard frame nearly ripped to shreds. If he had to guess, he'd say a little less than half the case was missing. He didn't even have to do the math to find that number to be disconcerting.

The sound of footsteps in the hallway pulled his attention away from the case. Chrissy stood in the doorway to the kitchen, albeit swaying a tiny bit, while clutching her head. "Ugh. This isn't one of my proudest moments but damn I feel better." Her eyes affixed themselves on Jem, "why're you in my house?" He shrugged, "why did you drink almost half a case? And it's not even the good shit. Someone needs to teach ya about _good_ liquor." This earned him a snort of disdain. "Hate to break it to you Jem but quality isn't exactly on my mind right now. Besides, it's pretty affordable." He shook his head with a genuine laugh, "kid there's so much ya gotta learn."

He was idly folding the ends of the case together so it was semi-closed. To test his craftsmanship he picked up the case by its handles, pleased when no cans rolled loose. "Now, first things first. I'm takin' this. It's shit quality and you shouldn't be drinkin' this much beah." When Chrissy opened her mouth to protest, he shook his head. The cardboard box was placed back on the table with a slight thud. There was a moment of awkward silence as the two stood staring at each other. Jem was the first to speak, quickly glancing down at his near empty can before doing so. "Uh, anywhere in particulah ya want me to put this?" The woman shook her head and stumbled forward slightly as Jem turned away to set the empty can down once more.

When he turned back, he was mildly surprised to see Chrissy standing right in front of him with a peculiar expression plastered on her face. His brow rose in question and mild amusement. However nothing could have prepared him for what happened next.

With a swiftness that belied her drunken state, Chrissy straightened herself slightly before pressing her lips to Jem's. His eyes widened in unsuppressed surprise at her sudden action. Just as quick as she initiated the kiss, she broke it off. Jem didn't take kindly to this action and quickly whirled her about, pressing her back up against the wall. He smirked slightly as the smaller woman cowered before him. Jem had one hand braced against the wall beside Chrissy's head as he inched closer and closer until their bodies were quite nearly touching.

He hooked his thumb and forefinger beneath the woman's chin and tilted her head up to look at him. His expression was a mixture of emotions and feelings but lust shone in his eyes. With a gentleness that was contradictory to his explosive nature, the man brought his lips to hers. She was slightly taken aback at his action and she could feel her heart pounding in her chest. Still, his lips were pressed to hers with his tongue gently running over them as though begging for entrance.

She gasped slightly at the feeling, her lips parting slightly to allow his tongue to explore. The taste of alcohol was strong in her mouth. The feeling was almost foreign to her as he ran his tongue alongside hers. But his tongue didn't linger long, leaving Chrissy confused at the sudden absence until she felt a rough nip and tug on her lower lip as Jem bit her.

It was an odd feeling but neither of them would deny the pleasure that they both felt. He broke away momentarily to allow the woman to shakily catch her breath. It was barely enough time for her to prepare herself for when he pressed his lips to her slender neck, trailing kisses up to the line of her jaw. His teeth would occasionally nip at the supple skin, sending shivers down her spine.

Jem's free hand trailed downwards to rest upon her hip, tugging slightly at Chrissy's clothing. Just the slight brushing of his fingers against her skin made her quiver and sent a surge of goosebumps across her flesh. His lips had reclaimed her mouth, muffling her gentle moan before moving to brush against her ear. Upwards his hand traveled, the rough skin of his hands brushing lightly against the small of her back, causing it to arch involuntarily and press herself in to the man's strong chest. She could see his lips curl upward slightly at this and he continued to skim his fingers over her back, relishing the result before he would push her back against the wall.

His hand continued to roam, brushing against her stomach before his thumb hooked into the waistline of her pants, threatening to tug them down. Her left hand darted down and wrapped around the man's wrist, fighting to pull his hand away. The man's breath was hot and heavy in her ear. Panic began to slowly rise as Chrissy's drunken mind started to register the fact she was pinned. "J-Jem…stop," her protest went unheeded until she pressed her palms against his chest. "Jem. _Jem. Stop._" She pushed the man back slightly and looked at him, horrified. His eyes were almost glazed over with desire. Her own face was flushed with a combination of desire and embarrassment.

"I-I think you need to leave." The next few moments were awkward as the man gathered the remnants of Chrissy's beer case before heading towards the front door. He shut it behind him with a click.

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Doug didn't even glance up as he heard the sound of the front door slamming and the heavy footsteps that signified an angry approach by Jem. However, he did look up when he read the dull clunking of beer cans in their cardboard home. The man let out an exasperated sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose while closing his eyes.

"Please tell me you didn't steal that beah from a stoah…" He paused for a second as he studied the case. "Do I even wanna know why ya got a half empty case of shitty beah anyway?" Jem stared his brother down for a moment before he finally chose to speak.

"She's been piss drunk foh the last, what, two days? She burned through almost half that case this morning." Doug's eyebrows shot up in surprise as Jem enlightened him on the young woman's unhealthy and spontaneous attachment to alcohol. "Christ man…Well are ya at least convinced that she doesn't needa be scared now?" Jem glowered at the man before storming off and leaving Doug to sit at the kitchen table to smile and shake his head. He knew Jem would never admit the fact that he felt _something_ for the woman.

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It took her a few moments to regain her composure after Jem left. She gave her head a good shake and then immediately regretted that decision before trudging outside to gather the discarded cans that lined her steps. As her drunken eyes glanced over the street and people walking her mind began to wander once more. A small group of men speaking in hushed tones slowly passed by, their eyes never leaving Chrissy, " 'Ey, innit that the bitch that ran from us?" One of the men patted the speaker's back. "Let it go man, she ain't our concern anymoah." "The hell she ain't. She's the reason I almost got shot!" _"I said, let it be."_ The man let out an angry huff as he watched Chrissy scurry back in to the house and slam the door behind her.

The woman pressed her back up against the door, her hands trembling and threatening to drop the cans as she did so. She took a deep breath before moving away from the door and throwing the cans in the recycle bin. Chrissy sighed and buried her face in her hands; she was pretty sure that staying at home wasn't the safest move right now, especially if that one guy still wanted her hide. A glance out the window told her that dusk was approaching and that she would have to make her decision soon. Unwilling to stay the night in her own home simply for fear of that man, Chrissy began tucking her valuables away hiding them wherever possible.

The process took a bit longer than expected because when she glanced at the clock it was close to 8PM. She let out an exaggerated huff and flopped on to her bed, running her decision through her mind once more. It was already 8 and she figured that she'd have a greater chance of bumping in to someone she didn't want to see on the streets than at home. But still she kept her keys nearby, a few dollars in her pocket and a pair of shoes at the side of her bed- just in case.

She worked her way out of her pullover jacket and tossed it to the floor before moving to her messy clothing drawers. Chrissy grabbed a long sleeve shirt and tugged it on over her bra, careful not to snag the shirt on her necklace, before grabbing a baggier short sleeve shirt with her old college logo on the back. The shirt was faded with most of the screen printing peeled off but it still fit fairly well. Unsure if that would keep her warm enough; she grabbed the jacket from her floor and yanked it back over her head, shoving her arms through the sleeves. Now she was content and warm and more importantly, ready to sleep.

Exhaustion claimed the woman as she fell asleep on her near sheet-less bed. Most of the alcohol had cleared her system during her little hiding spree but her mind was still working rapidly to force the rest of the alcohol out so she would wake up sober.

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A loud crash from the door slamming in to the wall startled Chrissy awake. The intruder made no effort to muffle his footsteps as he lumbered about ripping open drawers and slamming them shut as he progressed through the small house. The woman slipped her feet in to her shoes, frantically fumbling at the shoelaces until they were more or less tied. She grabbed her keys and jammed them in her pocket before tiptoeing over to her door frame. The muffled footsteps sounded a bit more distant but she couldn't begin to guess where the person might be. Either way, the urge to flee was rising.

Wither her body almost completely pressed to the wall, Chrissy began to inch along. She was mindful of where she placed her feet, the closer to the wall was better because there was less of a chance of the floor squeaking. She was almost halfway down the hallway when she heard the approach of heavy footsteps once more. Her mind kicked in to overdrive and she picked up the pace, now only feet away from her front door that was wide open. She heard the slam of one of the kitchen drawers and a muffled groan and then, "where d'ya think yoah goin'?" Her mind took only a few seconds to try and register the voice. Deciding that it was unfamiliar and definitely not friendly, she booked it, jumping down a majority of the stairs outside her front door.

She moved at a light jog, not even noticing where she was headed until she stopped at the barely illuminated porch. Her lips curled in to an amused smile. Of all the places she could've run, her mind sent her to Jem's; she almost laughed at the irony. "Well, at least I can use this as an excuse to apologize..." She raised her fist to knock lightly and within moments the door was pulled open.

Chrissy fought to contain her surprise as a woman with a beer in hand and child on the hip pulled the door open, a scowl plastered over her face. "Yeah? Whaddya want?" Chrissy glanced down for a moment, trying to collect her thoughts, "uh yeah. Uhm, i-is Jem home?" The woman shrugged but her expression didn't soften. "Jem, there's some girl at the doah askin' foh you!" The woman didn't even bother to move, simply shouting from the doorway to get the man's attention.

Two heads popped out from the kitchen and Doug gave Jem a puzzled look as the man stared at the woman, his face lacking any expression. Chrissy glanced down once more, rubbing the back of her neck awkwardly. Doug came to her rescue as he left the kitchen to shoo Jem's sister away from the front door. He clapped his hand on the smaller woman's shoulder, ushering her inside. "Chrissy! It's so good t'see ya! C'mon inside!" Meanwhile, Jem's eyes were shooting daggers at Doug and Chrissy, his hand curling to a fist before relaxing.

Chrissy was distracted as the little girl, now disengaged form her mother's hip, toddled over to her, lifting her arms up slightly. The young woman had been around kids enough to know what the child wanted and scooped her up, balancing her on one hip. The kid made a noise of joy as she curled her little hands into Chrissy's jacket and the woman couldn't help but smile and laugh, "you're quite the little cutie aren't you?" She repositioned her arm and the girl continued to cling to her. She made her way into the cramped kitchen and shuffled her feet awkwardly as Doug and Jem looked at her, all were waiting to see who would be the first to speak.

She decided she would break the silence. "Uh, Jem, can I talk to you for a moment? In private?" The man shrugged and mentally noted that Doug had a shit eating grin on his face, he would have to give him a good hit over that one later. Chrissy gently detached the toddler's hands from her jacket, confused as to who she should give the child to. Doug aided her by grasping the child's small hand with his own, leading her happily from the cluttered kitchen.

"Why're ya here?" "I wanted to apolo-" _"Bullshit_. Tell me the _real_ reason yoah standin in my kitchen right now." "I'm serious! I wanted to say that I'm sorry." "Y'sure as hell didn't _seem_ sorry at the time. I'm giving you one last chance befoh I shove you out." Chrissy's face fell for a moment before a hint of anger crept into her voice. "Because I'm scared. There? You happy now? Does my answer suit the high and mighty king of the house?" Jem let out a snort and a laugh. "Scared? Scared?" He couldn't contain his laughter and had to work at getting words to form sentences. "What are you even scared of? Ain't no boogey monstahs in yoah closet." The woman's face reddened, "look I'd rather not say, alright? Can I just like crash on your couch tonight? At least until things get sorted out."

Jem was silent for a few moments as he mulled the thought over. "Yeah, shoah. It's not the cleanest thing in the world though."

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He was right; the couch wasn't exactly clean or comfortable for that matter. The fabric was wearing thin in some places and the stuffing of the pillows had clumped together giving them awkward lumps. The old fabric smelled faintly of cigarettes and other things she couldn't place. Her nose crinkled slightly at the thought of having to bear with the smell all night long and she worked her way out of the jacket once more but this time she bunched it up under her head and tossed the pillow behind her back. The armrest of the couch was as good a headrest as any pillow.

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Panic rose when she awoke in the unfamiliar surroundings. It took a few moments for her mind to register where she was and that she was in no immediate danger. The sun was just barely beginning to rise and small rays of light were illuminating parts of the room. The house was dead silent, an occurrence that was incredibly rare. Chrissy rolled to her feet, genuinely surprised that she had no kinks in her neck from sleeping on the lumpy old couch, before making her way to the small kitchen.

Even with socks on, the kitchen tile was still freezing cold. She was unsure of what she should do; Chrissy craved her morning dose of caffeine but she didn't want to push her limits. Already she could tell that she was pushing the limits of Jem's hospitality. With a thoughtful sigh Chrissy tapped her fingers on her chin, lost in thought. She stood like that for a few moments when a brilliant idea struck her- she would cook breakfast!

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A/N: Sorry for the poopy-butt chapter! I hope it was bearable to read and that the cut-off wasn't _too_ awkward. Sorry if I missed anyone in the shout outs and if there are any typos.

**R&R**


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Many thanks and much love to my dedicated reviewers. I really couldn't do it without you lovely folks!

On a more…_depressing_ note, I'm not going to be able to continue (or try) updating weekly. Life suddenly decided to get super busy. I'll try and update whenever I can though, so fear not, my readers! The show will go on!

**Anne: **Thanks! I hope you had a happy St. Patty's day! I'm glad that the cutoff wasn't awkward, that's usually one of my concerns.

_**Disclaimer**_: I own nothing except my own ideas and characters (unfortunately).

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Jem wasn't sure if it was the smell or the sound of a cabinet door slamming shut that woke him up. A quick glance at the cheap clock by his bed told him that it was far too early for Doug, let alone his sister, to be awake. With that his mind kicked in to survival mode, grabbing his handgun from beside his bed as he made his way out of the room.

He was unable to tell what the smell was but what he did know was it wasn't bad. His footsteps were muffled as he made his way to the small kitchen and peered around the corner. Jem was rather surprised to see Chrissy darting about the kitchen, not only cooking but _cleaning?_ This was something he never expected to see. His hands deftly tucked the gun in the back of his pants and tugged his loose shirt over it, no need to scare the girl.

Chrissy reached in to one of the cabinets and grabbed a plate all while humming a gentle melody to herself. With a quick shove and flick of the wrist she flipped the pancakes on the makeshift griddle to cook the other side. During the few moments it took to cook the other side of the pancakes she had managed to scoop a fair amount of scrambled eggs on her plate. Jem noted that the eggs were a soft red, almost pinkish in color and this only served to confuse him. He leaned up against the doorway, still watching as the woman skillfully balanced her plate, mug of coffee, and silverware as she pulled out one of the rickety old chairs from the kitchen table. A smirk appeared on his face with a cocked eyebrow as he heard her gasp of surprise and rushed explanation.

"I, uh, hope it's okay that I used your kitchen. Uhm, I'll clean up the mess and everything so don't worry about that. I can uh, cook you up some food real fast if ya want?" It was Jem's turn to be surprised. Breakfast wasn't a common occurrence in the household, especially not a home cooked breakfast. "Yeah, shoah, I don't mind. But what th'hell is in them eggs? They'ah not…_right._" Chrissy couldn't help but laugh at his confusion at the eggs. "I call them salsa eggs because I mix salsa and hot sauce in them. I'd rather have spicy or things with flavor than just plain old eggs. You can try a bite if you want, see if you like them."

He hesitated, it sounded like a weird combination for scrambled eggs but he had to admit that it didn't smell half bad. His hand snatched up the fork from her plate and quickly stabbed a piece of the eggs before popping it in to his mouth. The fork was twirled in his hands as he chewed thoughtfully before passing his judgment. "Wow. Tha's actually _good."_ Chrissy just smiled and moved back to the stovetop. "Gimme a few minutes and I'll have you some pancakes too, yeah?" "I can jus' eat these y'know. Keep th' hot food foh yoahself." The woman shook her head, not even bothering to turn around. "No, you're stuck getting fresh food so I'd best not hear you complaining." Though she wasn't facing him, he could hear the smile in her voice. His lips tugged up in a half grin, he was in no mood to complain let alone argue.

Chrissy turned around, plate in hand and nearly tripped over the toddler that had worked her way in to the kitchen and clung to the woman's legs. It was a few precarious seconds as she regained her footing; not a single piece of food was spilled and the little girl escaped unscathed. She gently set the plate of piping hot food down in front of Jem before scooping up the child, who was now threatening to cry, and beginning to bounce her lightly. She wouldn't deny that she didn't know much about kids, other than the very basic do's and don'ts. "Jem, what's her name?" Her free hand motioned to the girl on her hips whose tiny hands were grabbing for Chrissy's necklace.

"Shyne," the gruff reply came from the doorway through which Doug was trudging. Chrissy made a small noise of acknowledgement before addressing the recently awoken man. "Well aren't you a ball of energy? You want me to fix something up for you? I'm already on a roll as is." Doug glanced between the woman and Jem and the plate of food with an incredulous look on his face. The sight of Jem eating breakfast while being in something other than his usual grumpy mood was peculiar to say the least, "uh, shoah I guess." He wasn't going to question the eggs like Jem did because judging from the smell alone they were probably pretty good. Doug navigated around the cooking woman to grab a mug and fill it with coffee.

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The sight of a clean kitchen was almost disconcerting to the men; they were used to dishes piled in the sink and bottles strewn about. Chrissy glanced at the small clock on the cook top- it was almost 11 AM. She let out a hearty sigh as she leaned up against the freshly cleaned countertops.

"Well kids, I think it's time for me to head on home. I've invaded your place long enough." "Hey, who you callin' a kid?" Jem's brows shot up as he switched to a defensive mode. Chrissy smiled and shook her head slightly, "seriously though, I got work tomorrow and I gotta clean our house."

Doug's hand rose swiftly to stop her and he watched, interested, as the woman flinched like she expected to be hit. "What are you scahed of?" "What?" "What made you come runnin' heah last night?" Chrissy pressed her lips together and shrugged her shoulders in a noncommittal answer.

Neither of the men were pleased with the answer but Doug refrained from snapping at her like Jem had the night before. "Shoahly somethin' musta scahed ya. I don't think you'd just wanna visit heah ya know." The woman cast her eyes to the ground and mumbled a short reply, prompting Doug to ask her to repeat herself.

"I've been having issues with people. It's no big deal; I just gotta get the main lock on my door fixed and stuff. Besides, it's all good now." Her cheeks flushed a slight red as she saw the men's intrigued expressions. "If this little Q and A is over, I'd like to leave."

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A few weeks later…

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Jem and Doug were running through their heist gear, making sure everything was in proper and working condition. The portable scanner was known to act up on occasion so Jem was fiddling with the piece of equipment, rapidly scanning through the stations. Consequently, this made him the first to hear the call go out.

"_All available units there is an assault in progress on Medford street. Suspects are four male adults. Be advised, they are considered armed and dangerous." _

For the most part Jem tuned out the call until he realized that the description of the victim was oddly familiar. Something told him to go, go and drive to the location. He didn't know what, or why, but only that it seemed like a good idea. Plus, he figured, the chances of the victim actually being her were slim.

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He pulled up to the scene, laughing inwardly at the sheer number of patrol cars that were parked haphazardly in the street. Tucked in the midst of the patrol cars was a lone ambulance, the rear doors flung wide open as the crew moved swiftly to pull out the gurney.

Jem slipped out of his car, shutting the door with a gentle _click_ before weaving his way through the vehicles, straining to get a better look. For some inexplicable reason, what he saw made his stomach drop.

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A small pool of blood threatened to stain the filthy concrete. Shards of glass from an old were scattered nearby, glimmering gently in the midday sun. The woman was on her side, struggling to hold the fetal position with weakening limbs and eyes squeezed shut. Though most of her face was covered in blood, it was easy to see that the skin was taking on a sickly pallor. Two large gashes decorated the victim's face. One ran beneath her right eye, just barely above the cheekbone while the other ran from her left brow into her scalp. The crimson blood continued to flow, slower now, the majority of it seeping from the scalp where the hair was slowly matting. Numerous lacerations decorated the woman's arms alongside angry red welts from where the skin had refused to break and underneath it all, ugly bruises were beginning to fill in.

Despite all the blood, Jem could still tell who it was. His mind rapidly sifted through the events of the weeks prior to the incident, barely remembering what Chrissy had said about "having issues with people." His left hand curled into a fist, knuckles threatening to turn white with the strain. Never had he seen Chrissy look so vulnerable, even during the robbery she had remained more or less composed.

The ambulance crew worked rapidly to c-spine their patient and wrap up the more serious wounds before gently rolling her onto a backboard and strapping her down. Together they lifted the bright blue backboard to the gurney and secured it. It took less than 10 minutes for them to package and load the patient inside the ambulance before speeding off with lights and sirens.

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A/N: According to the subs on my copy of The Town, that's how her name is spelled. And yes, I know she isn't Doug's kid but that's not gonna stop me from making him care for her.

That was probably the most awkwardly worded sentence.

Not sure how I feel about this chapter but yeah I'll spare you folks the pain of listening to my self deprecation. I'm sorry if this chapter feels really rushed but yeah and there are probably typos and grammatical errors so sue me.

**R&R**


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Many thanks and much love to my dedicated reviewers. I really couldn't do it without you lovely folks!

**Anne: **Don't fret! I'll try to update as much as possible, I promise! And to answer your question, well, it looks like you're just gonna have to read this chapter. Such a shame, I know! :P

_**Disclaimer**_: I own nothing except my own ideas and characters (unfortunately).

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The slight buzz of his phone startled him. Without a second glance Jem answered the call, pressing the phone to his ear. "Okay Jem, where'd ya go?" It was Doug and although he didn't sound very angry, Jem could hear a touch of frustration in his brother's voice. "Meet me at the hospital." "The hospital? What in God's name ah ya doin' theah Jem?" "It's Chrissy." Jem could hear the slam of the front door before Doug disconnected.

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Jem hated hospitals. They made him uneasy, nervous and in general they were far too clean for his taste. He didn't know how Doug was able to handle being in them but he respected him for that ability.

"The doctor and nurse are with her right now, they don't want her to have visitors just yet. But you can wait over there!" The receptionist was incredibly cheery with a smile that never faltered.

So they sat, Jem anxiously tapping his feet and twiddling his thumbs. If it weren't for that, the dull atmosphere would have put him to sleep. Doug was hardly faring better at this point; Jem's constant fidgeting was driving him up the wall. "Would it kill ya to sit still?"

It felt like ages before a friendly nurse made her way over to the pair and raised a brow at Jem who was now slouched in the chair. Doug shrugged and gave her an apologetic half smile. He knew better than anyone that Jem could be a total pain in the ass. "She can see you two now. I'll lead you back there."

Doug gave the back of Jem's head a friendly cuff, startling him awake. The taller man barely had time to slap his hand over Jem's mouth to muffle the obscenities that spewed forth like a river. "Get yoah ass up, you can see her now."

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"Mom, dad, I'm fine. Honest!" "Honey, I think your current situation is saying otherwise. Your father and I have made up our minds. We're selling and we're going to go live with friends of the family. It's much safer out in Billings." "Mom, it's Montana. I don't think I can handle that. Besides, I've got friends here and I've got a job. I can just live with them and pay rent or something, I'm sure they won't mind?" Okay, she had to admit, the last part wasn't exactly true but Chrissy was dreading the thought of moving to Montana.

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Her parents shuffled their way out of the confined space and left but not before her father gave Jem, as well as Doug, a very stern look. "You best behave yourselves young men."

Jem shrugged and pushed the curtains aside even more before he and Doug stepped into Chrissy's area.

She was looking much better than before. Her face was cleaned with a small row of stitches running beneath her eye and another set running up into her scalp through her eyebrow. Her facial expressions were limited seeing as how movement would painfully tug on the careful needlework of the nurses. An IV was hooked up to one of her bruised arms, the clear fluids dripping slowly. Bruises could be seen on the part of her collarbone that wasn't covered by the blue and white hospital gown. The flimsy gown did little to provide warmth, its sole purpose simply being to cover her. Various colored cords ran up through the collar hooking up to a monitor. A small conglomeration of blankets was neatly pulled up to her waist, covering her bare legs and feet from the cold air of the hospital.

Her face brightened considerably when she saw Jem and Doug. "My two favorite men! Have you come to try the fine hospital food?" Her lips turned up into an easy smile as her unburdened hand motioned for them to sit. "I can't say I was expecting any visitors, aside from the parents…" She let out a weak laugh, wincing with the pain as her injured ribs protested the sudden inhalation. Chrissy's head slumped back against the pillow, a sigh managing to work its way out.

"Well you two sure are lively…" "What did they look like?" "What?" "The men." Her head rolled to face Jem, whose face was unreadable. "Jesus Jem. Why?" She paused for a moment, "oh, no. No. I know what happens if I tell you…" She watched as he surged to his feet to loom over her. _How odd_, she thought, catching a glimpse of the small gold cross and the chain from which it hung, _how odd that I never noticed that before…_

"Chrissy," he began, "those men have it coming. Do ya really just wanna sit heah and let them wandah around knowing that theyah gonna get away with this?" She bit her lip slightly and glanced to the side, "it's not that ad Jem. I just got a little bit banged up, that's all." "A little banged up? Chrissy, I think a trip to the hospital and stitches to the face are a bit moah than a little," it was Doug who spoke this time. She relented with another sigh, "fine. If I tell you, once you guys are done doing whatever it is, will you two come back and maybe actually _talk_ this time?" Chrissy looked at the two men with a hopeful expression and Doug was the first to agree. It was only fair, he figured.

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Jem had already bailed out of the small quarters when Chrissy motioned for Doug to stop. "Hey, I need to tell you something." His brow rose in question as he made his way to her bedside. Her voice was barely above a whisper but he still managed to hear her with perfect clarity. "I know he was there Doug. I saw his neck stamp" The man looked down at her with an almost sad smile on his face. "I know."

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When they returned Chrissy was sound asleep. A small vase with flowers had been placed on the bedside table with a folded piece of paper tucked underneath. When Claire had delivered them, Chrissy had still been awake and they ended up talking for quite some time. Naturally the other woman was concerned for her friend's well-being but after much reassurance, she had relaxed. Claire had told Chrissy not to worry, that she would find someone to cover for her while she was out on her medical leave. Chrissy wasn't thrilled about having to miss work, thus losing a good amount of her paycheck, but she knew it was for the best.

Doug and Jem looked at each other almost uneasily. They were unsure if they should wake the sleeping girl or just to let her be. Doug didn't want to go back on his word so he slowly approached Chrissy and placed his hand on her shoulder. "Hey, hey, Chrissy. Weah back. Jus' lettin' ya know."

She let out a muffled groan and gingerly rubbed her eyes, blinking rapidly to clear the sleep. A faint smile danced across her face as her eyes focused on the two. Chrissy pulled herself to a sitting position, wincing slightly as her ribs protested angrily. The current situation was far more awkward than she had anticipated and the silence did little to help. Her eyes glanced at Jem who was now visibly more relaxed and if she had to guess, he might actually be somewhat happy. It was almost a disconcerting thought, a happy Jem. The woman swallowed thickly before speaking, "so uh, I'm guessing you guys took care of the problem?" "Yeah. They won't be harassin you no moah. Or anyone foh that mattah." Her eyes shot open at Jem's response. "Oh god, you didn't ki-" "No, no Chrissy. We don't do that. They just know to stay away now, that's all," Doug was quick to reassure the woman that no lives were claimed.

The silence took over once more. Jem was sitting, hunched over and twiddling his thumbs like an impatient child while Doug slipped the small note from under the vase. One of his brows rose slightly and a small smile appeared on his face. "Sounds like Claih is pretty worried about you." Chrissy rubbed the back of her neck a small smile on her face. "Yeah. She's a good lady y'know? I'm kinda glad she came to visit, it's a nice change from the parents." She groaned inwardly at the last part of her statement. "I have one last favor, if you guys wanna help." Jem glanced up, almost excited. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't excited at the thought of possibly being able to hurt more people.

Chrissy noticed the man's sudden movement and let out a soft laugh, "sorry Jem, but nobody else needs to get hurt. This is more of a uh…domestic problem." She hardly paused before continuing on. "They want to move again but this time to the middle of nowhere. Quite frankly, I'm pretty happy here despite the recent turn of events. I've got a job and shit, I've got a few close friends. Problem is, they want me to go with them and the only way they'd let me stay is if I found someone willing to rent out to me. I've talked to Claire but she says she'd have to think because apparently her place is pretty small… So I'm asking you." She motioned slightly to Jem and Doug, noting the very peculiar expressions on their face.

"So what yoah askin' is if you could live in ouah house?" Jem's voice was heavy with disbelief, as if she hadn't just asked that of them. She looked at them sheepishly before glancing at her blankets. "Y-yeah. I mean, I could pay rent and everything. I've got a job, I can watch Shyne if you want, cook, clean. You name it and I can probably take care of it." Doug pinched the bridge of his nose with a sigh, "Chrissy…" He glanced at the woman who had a look of desperation on her face. "I'm not shoah if we can-" "Look. What you guys do in your spare time and shit is your own business. Besides it's not like I don't already now." She gave a slight shrug.

Jem glared at her and quite nearly growled, "what do y'mean 'its not like I don't already know'?" Chrissy gave him a 'you've got to be shitting me' look. "Really Jem? Do you really need to ask that?" Jem turned to Doug, fixing him with a furious expression. "I thought you said we weren't going to have any problems," his voice dropped by the end of his statement, matching his dark expression. The infuriated man moved to approach Doug, his hands curling and uncurling to form fists.

Chrissy wasn't going to stand for the possibility of a brawl between the two, especially not in a hospital. Even though she had to admit, it'd be pretty funny and even possibly ironic if they did start to fight. With a groan she managed to pull herself to the side of the bed and pushed the buttons to lower it. Every inch of her body was screaming at her as she swung her legs to the floor and shakily stood. One hand had a death grip on the side of the bed frame while the other struggled to twist and reach behind her, keeping the flimsy gown shut. The floor felt like ice to her bare feet as she trudged towards the men who were now barely feet apart. Somehow Jem was able to keep the volume of his voice down as he was speaking vehemently with his fingers jabbing at Doug's chest.

It felt like ages before Chrissy was standing by the two men. She managed to weasel her way between the two and with her back to Doug, she faced Jem. Her hands were trembling as she pressed one to Jem's chest to prevent him from stepping any closer. She was hurting and she was angry. It was not a good combination. "I swear to fucking god Jem, don't you fucking dare hit him." Jem's eyes narrowed at her remark, "oh yeah an' why should I listen to you? Whose side are you on?" "This isn't about sides you ass!" Chrissy tossed her hands up in exasperation, not really caring that it let the back of her hospital gown slide open to reveal the multicolored bruises that were trying to blend with her tattoo. "Y'know what? You wanna fuckin' hit something Jem? Fuckin' hit a wall, or better yet, hit_ me. Not Doug._"

Jem recoiled slightly at the acidity of her tone. He had never seen her this mad before and it was mildly disconcerting. The only thing that both the men found to be more concerning was the battered woman's willingness to take a hit for Doug.

"You've got _no_ reason to hit him, not when this 'problem' is me." She used finger quotes around the word 'problem' before awkwardly crossing her arms across her chest, trying to to cringe at her protesting ribs. "You ain't right in th'head if you think I'm gonna hit you, 'specially when yoah like…that." He watched as her lips tugged even further into a frown, "oh trust me, Jem. That hasn't stopped people before, people far less…extreme than you, so tell me, why is it stopping you?"

Doug's brows furrowed slightly, suddenly concerned about the woman and what exactly she meant by her previous statement. "What do you mean 'it hasn't stopped people befoah'?" It was Doug's turn to speak and he moved to circle around the girl and stand next to Jem. She glanced down, suddenly embarrassed though she couldn't figure out why.

"You know what? Forget I even said anything. It's not important anyway." She moved to shuffle back to the hospital bed; the warm blankets seemed to be more inviting by the second. Doug reached out and gingerly placed a large hand in her shoulder, trying to avoid hitting any bruised spots. "Chrissy," he prompted gently only to receive an exasperated sigh in return.

"Abusive relationship and it didn't end on good terms either. You folks pleased now?" She glanced at the two for a moment before turning her head away to try and hide her eyes that were brimming with tears- not just from the pain of her current injuries.

The men stared at her in shock and disbelief as small pieces of a puzzle began clicking together. Not only did it explain her scars but the most of her jumpiness and the fact that she would cower whenever one of them would get angry. It all stemmed from the fear of being hit- or worse.

"Jesus, Chrissy…"

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A/N: Another chapter, because I love you guys. Hopefully its not awkwardly cut off, or filled with typos or just crappy in general.

**R&R**


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Many thanks and much love to my dedicated reviewers. I really couldn't do it without you lovely folks!

_AND A ONE AND A TWO AND A HERP-A-DERP-A-DOOOO!  
>It's 1AM I'm eating carrots and ranch and sobbing over school. Don't mind me.<em>

**Anne: **I'm so mean to my characters! ;A; but don't worry, some butt kicking will be involved!

**TheImmortalChaplin:** Excuse me while I ashfdlkg;l. You're a new reviewer and I'll try my very best not to suffocate you as I hold you to my bosom. (Chances are, I'll scare you off first) No guarantees though… I'm glad you enjoy my work so much!

**Dmfritsc:** Aww it's okay my dear! Life is currently kicking me in the hypothetical balls right now. Well it's more so chemistry than life but you get the idea. I hope all is going well with you!

_**Disclaimer**_: I own nothing except my own ideas and characters (unfortunately).

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She shrugged off the statement all while forcing her face into an expression of neutrality as she pulled herself back onto the hospital bed and hiked up the sheets. Both Jem and Doug were speechless and had resorted to just staring at the woman in shock, though Doug was able to compose himself a bit more than Jem. Chrissy rubbed her eyes, narrowly managing to avoid hitting the stitches that bound her skin together.

"Look you guys, do me a favor. Just, I dunno. Sleep on it, think about what I said- the renting part I mean. Come back to me when you have an answer and aren't going to rip someone to pieces. Now, if you'll be ever so kind as to excuse me. I'm pretty freaking tired."

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It was several uneventful days later before Chrissy was released from the hospital. The doctors no longer were concerned about internal bleeding or various different types of damage that could have occurred. They gave her special instructions for how to care for her injured ribs, a prescription for pain medication and a note stating when she should return to have the stitches removed.

Some of the bruises had already started to fade while others were just barely reaching their peak of tenderness and color. Thin lines of scabs covered her arms and occasionally she would run a fingertip over the healing marks, almost marveling at the difference in textures.

It required some effort to change out of the hospital gown and fortunately her parents had left a fresh set of clothes during one of their visits and neither the sweatpants nor the baggy shirt were constricting.

Chrissy was shuffling her way out into the parking lot when she caught sight of Doug's quickly approaching figure. She glanced at him, her expression plainly showing hope for good news. The tall man scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, "so I see they let ya out early." His eyes scrutinized the parked cars carefully. "Yoah parents ahn't gonna make you walk home all by yoahself are they?" She let out a soft laugh in response, "no, they aren't that cruel. They're just running a bit late, that's all…So," she paused. "What's the verdict?" One look at Doug's downcast face and her heart sank faster than the Titanic. "Oh, oh. Okay. I see." The woman struggled to maintain her composure as Doug looked at her, almost bewildered.

"You should really let me tell ya befoh you staht makin' conclusions y'know." He attempted a half grin. "Jem ain't exactly a happy campah right now but he's agreed. But, theah are some things you have to agree to." Despite the major 'but' Chrissy couldn't help but to grin happily. "Oh, that's okay! I'm sure they won't be a problem at all!"

"First an' fohmost, you don't tell nobody wheah you live and moah importantly, _who _you live with. Second, what happens theah stays theah an' if people staht askin' you questions, you don't know nothin'. Third, you pay rent. Ain't gonna be expensive but you ain't gonna be livin' foh free." Doug continued to tick off the ground rules on his fingers. "An' finally, don't touch Jem's beah. That's his."

She gave a hearty laugh at the last rule. "I guess he's a pretty protective fella when it comes to his drinks then huh?" Chrissy wasn't concerned about any of the rules, she had a job so she could pay for rent and she knew when to keep her mouth shut. "So uh, how much is rent gonna cost?" "Five hundred a month, give or take." The woman fought the urge to cringe. Five hundred wasn't too bad, back home rent for a cheap apartment in sketchy parts of town was no less than $800. She let out a low whistle. "Okay, that's okay. I can handle that." Doug responded with a nod before suddenly remembering something else he wanted to say.

"Theah is one downfall though." "Yeah? Hit me with it." "You ahn't gonna have a room really so yoah probably gonna have to sleep on the couch…" His face was sympathetic as Chrissy let out a laugh. "Hey, the couch isn't too bad. Besides, it could be worse and I could be sleeping on the floor." Doug laughed at her response before glancing around.

"It looks like yoah folks are heah to pick ya up. Go home an' tell 'em that you got a place to stay, yeah?"

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Her parents didn't react happily to the news but it was to be expected. After many hours of discussion and contemplation the elderly couple decided that they wouldn't try to force their daughter to come along with them anymore. The sudden housing agreement proved to be not a moment too soon for Chrissy, seeing as how her parents had already received an offer from a potential buyer.

It took several days of almost nonstop work for the small house to be packed up and to save on time –and space- Chrissy decided to trash most of her old belongings. She wasn't going to need them anymore and the last thing she wanted was to clutter Jem's already messy house.

When the time had finally come, the small family car was loaded up and the cardboard boxes took up nearly all the room. Fortunately the trip down the road was fairly short so it was only a few moments of discomfort for Chrissy before her and her boxes were dropped off in front of Jem's messy abode. Before her parents putted away in the small car, she gave each a hug and a kiss and tried her best to ignore the disapproving tutting that came form her mother.

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She nudged the few boxes with her foot, lining them up on the small area that could be called a front porch. Her hand reached out to knock tentatively. Even though she was more or less a welcome guest, Chrissy still couldn't help but feel nervous each time. The woman waited a few moments and still there was no response. She anxiously knocked again, louder this time and still there was no response.

Her brows knitted together in a cross of confusion and concern. She gave a slight shrug and plopped down, her back propped up against the side of the house. Chrissy assumed that they were busy or maybe they weren't even home. It's not like she had a phone, let alone their numbers to call and check. With an exasperated sigh, she let her head fall back against the wall with a dull thud and tucked one leg beneath the other. She would sit and wait them out if she had to.

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"Chrissy, what in god's name are ya doin' out heah? Asleep of all things?" Doug's voice snapped her awake and she blinked rapidly to clear the sleep from her eyes. For a few moments she stared at the man, stunned and disoriented. It was well after dusk she figured but to be quite honest, Chrissy was more intrigued as to why Doug and Jem were both dressed in nearly all black.

"I uh, was waiting. Nobody answered the door so I figured I'd just wait." Doug let out a soft laugh before shaking his head. "C'mon, pick up yoah stuff and get on inside. I still can't believe you managed to fall asleep outside…" The last part was barely audible as she took the boxes into her arms and shuffled inside. It hadn't changed a bit; the rooms were as dark and messy as ever. If anything, it had gotten worse. Chrissy turned around slowly, careful not to drop any of her cargo. "Uhm, where should I..?" "Anywhere is fine. You get the couch. Doug already told ya the rules?" Jem looked at the woman with narrowed eyes. "Yeah, Doug told me not to touch your beer and what I'm supposed to do…" "Good, ya staht tomorrow."

Jem shuffled off to his room after that, littering the floor with bits of clothing during the short walk. Doug had already locked up the front door and was rummaging in the kitchen for a beer, shutting the fridge door with a foot. Chrissy remained standing by the couch and single chair, lost. The man glanced at her as he walked by with an almost apologetic smile. "It's been a long day foh everyone Chrissy, so don't mind Jem. Oh an' heads up with the bathroom- it's first come first serve. I suggest you get some sleep, it's gonna take a lot of wohk to clean this shithole."

She let out a slight laugh and nodded as Doug too made his way to his room. Chrissy glanced at her unpacked boxes and figured that they would be dealt with later. Grabbing one, she pried open the flaps and grabbed the pair of clothes and blanket that were perched on top. The blanket was tossed to the couch as she found her way to the bathroom and hastily stripped. She didn't know if the guys would knock before attempting to barge in and that was something she didn't want to find out just yet.

A few minutes later she stumbled out into the darkness and miraculously found her way to the couch without incident. It was still lumpy and still reeked of cigarettes and beer but it was tolerable. Chrissy hiked the blanket up to her shoulders and promptly fell back asleep.

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A/N: Yay for horribly rushed chapters! Like I said, I'll update whenever I can etc etc. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to stop sobbing over school and go back to sobbing over The Avengers.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Many thanks and much love to my dedicated reviewers. I really couldn't do it without you lovely folks!

**lovelydarkanddeep: **That I did my dear! Things are going to get very interesting in the house now…

**Dmfritsc: **Marvel already owns my soul so I figured it's only best to give my college fund to them as well. I've seen The Avengers 2 times now and I'm hoping for a round 3 soon. It gets better every time and every time it still manages to rip my heart apart. It's been a very long time since I've seen a movie of this caliber. I could ramble for daaayyyss.

**Cassieswarley:** Right? Imagine how I feel when I'm writing it! Not saying it's a bad thing that I hear their voices in my head… Surely it might be disconcerting to others if I were to announce such things but…. I'm so glad you love this story and that you don't think my OC is a brat. That's what I'm always terrified of… ;A;

**Anne:** I tend to disappear sometimes; it's a great tool really. Yes! AVENGERS! People seem to underestimate the amount of love I have for that movie and I'm going to force myself to shut up about it right now. (Perhaps I shall attempt a fic of that? And then sob disgustingly as it fails). Oh and don't you worry, things might get a wee bit… _interesting._

_**Disclaimer**_: I own nothing except my own ideas and characters (unfortunately).

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The initial adjustment was slow and mildly painful. She had to balance her job as a teller and cleaning the house. Fortunately, once she got the most of the cleaning done during the first few weeks, it was very easy to maintain. Her stitches had been removed a few weeks ago and were replaced with fading pink scars. Chrissy didn't complain much about them; after all they were easy enough to cover with make up.

For the most part, the house was always empty during the week. Doug was off at work, smashing rocks and Jem… Well Jem just kind of disappeared and did his own thing. Chrissy didn't question it or complain.

However, the weekends were a completely different story. Doug and Jem would laze about, beer in hand as they stared blankly at the TV. It had reached the point that Chrissy wasn't even sure that they were aware of what was going on and that maybe they were just staring because it was something to look at. She didn't bother giving that any more thought, seeing as how she was usually busy running around the house during the weekends and tidying up here and there. On occasion the men would see her curled up on the couch, catching a small nap.

So far she considered herself lucky. There had been no unfortunate bathroom incidents and no awkward barge ins. Chrissy didn't really know if it was luck anymore or that she had deciphered the men's seemingly random schedules to the point she was able to avoid such incidents. True, there had been a few close calls but she was fast enough to kick the door shut only seconds after someone had tried to open it. Since then, Doug and Jem had learned how to knock. Sometimes.

But luck can't last forever.

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Her morning began with a dull thud and a groan. The only downside to sleeping on a couch was that sometimes she ended up rolling off and on to the floor. With a sleep fogged mind and another low grumble, Chrissy picked herself up from the floor and trudged to the bathroom.

It was still dark o'clock in the morning and she knew that the boys would be asleep. The woman let out a light huff of laughter and a small smile, inwardly amused at how she always seemed to think of them as boys.

She nudged the door open slightly and blinked rapidly to try and adjust to the blinding light. Her lips tugged into a frown, she would have to remind them not to leave the lights running. Chrissy moved to push the door open further and was surprised when it stuck after only a few inches. The opening was just wide enough for her to pop her head and part of her shoulders through.

Oh.

Well, that would explain it.

"Jem I swear to god…" There was no response from the man who was sprawled out on the bathroom floor. And to make things even better, he was buck ass nude. She grit her teeth as her lips pressed together in a thin line. As much as she may have admired the man's body and found him attractive –she'd rather die than be caught admitting that,- this was something that she really had no desire of seeing or dealing with at 6 in the morning. "You'd think I'm their mother," the woman grumbled to herself as she slipped into the bathroom and hovered over the sleeping man.

He was breathing. Breathing was always a bonus in her book. But it was fairly easy to smell the alcohol from his body. That pretty much erased all the points she had mentally given him just now. Shuffling around to his side, she crouched down. "Jem I would really appreciate if you would wake the fuck up." No response, not even when she gave him a gentle nudge.

With a sigh she moved on to plan b. Her hand tapped the skin of his face lightly but when still that evoked no response _–I guess when he sleeps he's dead to the world- _Chrissy gave the man a good slap and began mentally counting down to what she assumed would be an explosive reaction.

3…2…1…1…1…

Nope, still nothing. This time she gave him a good thump on the back, her hand burning from the striking of his skin. She gave up trying to wake the man after that and rolled him onto his side and then eventually his back. Chrissy worked skillfully to reposition him so the door could be opened all the way and then she looped her arms under his to try and drag him out.

On the plus side, she could now say that this was definitely one of her least favorite activities. She fell on her ass twice as she tried to pull the man before realizing it would probably be best to keep her center of gravity low. But still it was painstakingly slow and painful work. Especially since she was trying to avoid looking at the pantless man but that was becoming increasingly difficult. Her brows rose in mild amusement as she tried to stifle any thoughts that were threatening to rise. _I don't get why he always wears so many layers and loose clothes, it's not like he doesn't have a nice body or a nice- _ She shook her heard to clear the thoughts, a blush had already made its home on her cheeks.

"Doug!" Her voice cut through the quiet house with relative ease. It took a few more shouts of the man's name before she heard the gentle creaking of the floors as the man made his way to her location, obviously somewhat displeased at his awakening. Doug quickly did a double take and ran his hand down the side of his face.

"Is…it this normal for Jem? To be passed out in the bathroom?" Her voice was tinged with concern and the man could only give a slight snort. "Nah. When he hits th'bottle he hits it hard sometimes. Doesn't help that he's dead to the world when he sleeps. Heah, move ovah. I'll move him foh ya." Chrissy inched to the side as Doug walked over and grabbed his brother's arms with ease, dragging him down the hallway none too gracefully.

The woman could've sworn that Doug ran the other man in to things on purpose. She was hesitant to follow and instead settled for going back to the bathroom for what she originally intended, to pee.

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When she did wander out of the bathroom, Chrissy was surprised to see Doug. She figured that he would've at least gone back to sleep, that seemed only logical to her. The tall man glanced down at her and rubbed the back of his neck slightly before speaking.

"I'm sorry that ya had ta see that. I don' really know what happened with Jem. Usually he at least keeps some clothes on but I guess he probably decided a nap would be bettah than a showah." The woman let out a hesitant laugh before glancing downwards. "Yeah that's probably what happened. Uhm, he won't be mad or anything, right?" Doug's eyebrows furrowed in concern.

"Why would Jem be angry?" "Well I uh, kinda slapped him once or twice to try and wake him… Not to mention the whole trying to drag him around while he decided to be a free spirit…"

The man let out a hearty laugh and clapped his hand down on the woman's shoulder. "I doubt he'd even remembah any of that. I have t'give ya props though, foh tryin'a move him. He ain't a small guy and we all know how sleeping people cooperate…" Her lips twitched upwards in relief as she visibly relaxed. The last thing Chrissy wanted was to deal with a somewhat vengeful Jem; he was terrifying enough when he was just barely angry.

Somehow the pair ended up in the kitchen, each with a cup of steaming coffee. Doug was far too awake to have any hopes of going back to sleep and Chrissy knew she had some cleaning to do around the house. He stood leaned up against the counter as she sat cross-legged in one of the chairs at the small table. No words were exchanged for a while as they each sipped their coffee.

She would have said that the situation was awkward but both of them were content with just standing or sitting in silence and being left to their own thoughts.

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The sun was well into its ritualistic climb into the morning sky when Jem stumbled into the kitchen, a palm pressed into his eye as he rubbed furiously to try and wake up and banish the oncoming headache. Thankfully he had pants on this time. He didn't bother to stifle a yawn as he scoured the fridge and then the cabinets for food. Jem didn't really take notice until he saw Chrissy's peculiar expression despite the mug being pressed to her lips.

"What?" His voice was rough with sleep. The woman smiled into her mug and tried to hold back a laugh before speaking. "You enjoy your nap, sleeping beauty? Personally I would've picked somewhere other than the floor to go comatose on…" Jem just groaned and rubbed his temples as the memories came flooding back, increasing the already painful pounding in his head.

The woman knew she was making a dumb move but she couldn't resist the temptation of continuing. "I never would have thought of you to be so… free spirited." She cracked a sly grin at her own joke as Jem looked at her with narrowed eyes. "Hey, take a chill pill Jem. I made sure to cover my eyes the best I could as I dragged your unconscious ass out of the damn bathroom." The man gave a light snort, "no one asked ya ta do that." "Yeah well trust me; I had no intentions of peeing while you were having nude nap time on the floor. Besides, Doug did the rest of the heavy lifting, not me." Chrissy gave a nonchalant shrug as she set down her mug of coffee.

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Doug was impressed; not only with Chrissy's sudden commentary but with the fact that Jem hadn't smashed or hit anything in response. In fact, he seemed to almost be laughing about the whole endeavor.

"All right ya two. I have some business to take care of…" Doug trailed off as Jem glanced in his direction, his expression sour. The temperamental man knew exactly what Doug's business was and he didn't approve. However he chose not to argue the fact considering his own circumstances.

"Try not to buhn down th' house while I'm gona a'ight? Or rip out each othah's throats."

Chrissy gave a slight laugh, "hey I can promise some of those, but I'm not sure about free bird over there." She jerked her thumb in Jem's general direction upon using her newly invented nickname for the man.

Doug could only shake his head with a smile as he left.

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They sat in the kitchen in silence for quite some time after Doug left. Chrissy was drumming out a soft rhythm on the side of the mug with her nails as she stared out the window. Her mind was far at seas as Jem continued to scour the kitchen for food he could deem as edible. At last he had decided on some off brand of cereal and was crunching away, a neutral expression plastered on his face as he propped his elbows up on the table.

"Soooo…" Chrissy began, unsure of what to say that would break the silence. "Uh…" She received a low grunt from the man before he resumed his crunching. "Right, okay then. Uh, just one thing…" Another grunt was her sign to continue. "Can you try and give us a heads up if you're gonna pass out in the bathroom like that? I mean Doug sas it happens sometimes but first off, it scared the beejesus outta me and second off, I'd rather not have to drag your body around the house."

She saw the struggle between Jem and his food as he tried not to choke on the cereal as he contained his laughter. A bout of coughing later, he managed to speak. "Ya shouldn't give a shit 'bout me Chrissy. It ain't worth it. Ya got bettah things ta worry about. Besides, whaddya gonna do if I choose to 'take a nap' in theah again?" Jem had a smug look on his face; he knew he was winning this battle.

"I'll uh…" She trailed off before quickly muttering her response. Jem only looked at her with an amused expression. "Whaddya say? I can't heah ya." "IsaidImightbeforcedtokissyou," it came out with a rush of air and Chrissy could feel the burn of her cheeks as she glanced away in embarrassment. The line was horribly cliché but it was all she had.

Jem's brows rose in genuine curiosity before he let loose a short laugh.

"Ya make it sound like tha's a bad thing."

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A/N: Woooh another chapter out. Sorry if there's errors and blah-de-dah. Words just kind of happened and they're not very good but, love me?

**R&R**


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Fanfiction... wat wat wat r u doing? I leave to come back to this... newfangled… thing. It's gonna take time to get used to this I think.

_Holy mother of god that was a huge, unintentional hiatus (finals, moving stuff back home and the lot). Not to mention I could probably write an entire chapter in thanks to those of you who reviewed. But I'm nice, and I won't do that._

_I also picked up a copy of The Town (the book) from Barnes and Noble. I make fantastic life choices, obviously._

**PiercedHeart114: **Thank you so much! One of the things I always try to make sure I do is have a lot of dynamic among all the characters. I don't want them to be just flat, two-dimensional beings.

**Yourestupidish01:** I'll be honest, I read the first sentence of your review and freaked out for a moment, then I read the rest! I am happy to be feeding your Jeremy Renner addiction (god knows it's probably one of the better addictions out there). Hopefully I'll be able to update more often now! (:

**Sam:** DON'T DIE ON ME! But it's okay, I'm CPR certified. Aww yeee.

**Mandi Goldfish: **I find your name absolutely darling~ I'm glad that you're in love with my story! The pook pook made me giggle and I've no idea why…

**Anne: **Mm naked and drunk people aka one of the best kinds of people. Imeanwhat. But torturing people is fun~~ Speaking of torture, I'm already thinking ahead as to how I'm going to go for the ending of this, but don't fret! It won't be anytime soon.

**Hope and love: **Oh, what's this? AN UPDATE! YAY!

**Kate: **Aww, you are too sweet with your words! Thank you so much!

**Lovelydarkanddeep: **I think everyone would be happy to wake up and find an attractive naked man in their bathroom.

_**Disclaimer**_: I own nothing except my own ideas and characters (unfortunately).

_**Bonus note**_**:** Don't forget to see The Bourne Legacy in theaters this August! Because it has guns, action, explosions and Jeremy Renner (occasionally shirtless) so what more could a person want?

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Her cheeks flared a brilliant shade of red as her eyes immediately focused on a spot on the floor. Flustered was an understatement- a massive understatement. Jem's laughter only grew and all Chrissy could do was duck her head even more.

"I…uh…yeah.." "What's'a mattah? Cat got ya tongue?" Jem continued to tease, fighting to keep a straight face now. He knew his jests were at Chrissy's expense but he couldn't help it.

Chrissy continued to stumble over her words for a few moments before giving up entirely and turning towards one of the cabinets. She found the situation to be somewhat awkward but apparently for Jem, that wasn't the case. Instead of speaking, Chrissy took a few moments to shuffle around the cabinet for a glass, trying to collect her thoughts as she did so.

For some reason, this helped to calm her down as well as slow down her thoughts so she wouldn't flub her words again.

"I can't help it." "Help what?" "Worrying. I mean, you've kinda saved my ass a few times and when I wake up to find somebody I know facefirst on the bathroom floor?..." She trailed of helplessly and Jem's expression softened. "Hey, hey, listen. It's okay Chrissy. I'm a big kid, I can take care of myself." He wasn't too sure how to react to her words; the concept of someone actually caring about his well-being was uncharted land for him.

"I know... It's just…" She ended with a light huff, words finally failing her once again. And so once more, she resorted to using actions to distract herself. The sound of water filling her glass seemed far too loud for the oddly quiet kitchen.

"I said don' worry about it Chrissy," he tried to offer her a smile, in hopes of cheering her up. Unfortunately, the words did little to actually cheer her up and another light huff made its way out.

"If you get hammered like that again, it's only fair if we all get shitfaced," Chrissy suddenly blurted.

Jem was surprised at her sudden words, his brows shooting sky high. "So what, nex' time I go an' get drunk, you and Dougie join in?" "Yeah, sure why not? I mean I live with you guys; besides, it'll be like bonding time or something. And it'll give me something to do other than cleaning…"

He shook his head with a laugh. "Y'know Dougie ain't gonna agree to that…" "And we all know how well I can hold my liquor," she shot back. "I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself-" "Except when y'came runnin' heah foh help," Jem interrupted, earning an exasperated groan. "Ugh, okay, that's different. That's a whole other situation completely." The man tossed his hands up in mock defeat.

"Fine, we'll see what Dougie says."

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"No. Absolutely not." "But Dou-" "No. Ouh house, ouh rules. I don't need you runnin' off an' getting' hurt." Doug flinched slightly as he heard Chrissy's hand slam down on the counter, the dishes clanking in protest. "I'm a big kid Doug. I can take care of myself." She realized how childish she sounded but didn't care, at least not now.

"Please Doug? It's a controlled environment here!" Her lips curled down into a pout as she gave him the puppy dog eyes. That was her last resort. But Doug wasn't swayed and then Jem decided to butt in. He saw no flaw with the idea; after all, drinking was fun! "Dougie, give it a shot. Just once, then you can go from theah, yea?"

The taller man conceded with a groan, pinching the bridge of his nose with his fingers. "Fine. Only this once." He tried to ignore Chrissy's excited actions as she nearly bounced around the kitchen.

"How about tonight? Is that okay?" She was beaming as she bounced from foot to foot but her expression faltered as Doug shook his head. "Not foh me. Work tomorrow. If you two do, though. Jem, make shoah she doesn't kill herself."

The order evoked a groan from the man; it was pretty much the same as telling him to be the designated driver. Jem and sobriety didn't get along very well, at all.

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The dull glow of the television was mesmerizing to the now drunk Chrissy. Jem was faring much better than her, still sort of sober despite the amount of alcohol he had consumed.

"Hey… Jem…?" Her speech was slow and slurred as her eyes worked to focus on Jem's bored expression. His blue eyes drifted down lazily to study Chrissy's flushed face and her dopey grin. "Hm?" "Nooothingg."

He nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt the weight of Chrissy topple over into his shoulder. "Chrissy! What ah yo-" Jem turned slightly, fixing her with a confused expression. It was quickly replaced by a fleeting smile as he saw the content expression on the young woman's face as she tucked her feet up onto the small couch. Shifting slightly, Jem inched his arm from beneath Chrissy's weight to give her a rather awkward pat on the back.

"Oh, you ah so gone righ' now."

Chrissy's only response was to let out a drunken giggle and press up against Jem even more. She was comfortable here and she felt safe too. A content sigh brushed past her lips as she nestled up against the man, not noticing any more of the awkward pats on the shoulder that he gave.

This was a first for Jem. Nothing had ever made him feel so… awkward before. And with Doug and now Chrissy fast asleep, there was nothing he could do but sit, try and get comfortable and watch TV for the rest of the night.

Great.

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A/N: Whoa, super duper short chapter and all buuuuut I figured (hoped is more like it) that you guys wouldn't mind too much cause it's an update and yeeeaahhh

**R&R**


	13. Author's Note

authors note : this is being posted from my phone so excuse the lack of proper punctuaction etc. i havent had laptop access at all this summer its a long story. anyway that should change in september so keep your eyes peeled. theres going to be a lot of shout outs in the next chapter.. jesus. thanks for your continued support your guys. i really appreciate it.


	14. Chapter 13

A/N: Sweet mother of god where the hell did all you people come from? Anyway, I'm pretty much back now so put on your big girl panties (or big boy boxers) and strap on your seatbelts!

Also I wrote this entire chapter in the span of one night. It's now the asscrack of dawn and I want to sleep. So I'm kindly giving you folks this unedited chapter.

Don't hate me too much.

_**Little miss michelle, PiercedHeart114, Guest, CharlieMichelle, Mandi Goldfish, BellahB, Okay Oblivious, LolliB, Guest, MatlockGirl, Anne, Mandi Drunk Goldfish, Ophelia Weasley, kate, Hope and love: **_Jesus take the wheel, there was a fucking army of you guys and since I don't want to write an entire chapter devoted to how much I love each and every one of you, I'm condensing it to one rather large message. Many thanks to each and every one of you; nothing makes me happier than seeing your reviews and words of encouragement. I'm glad you folks stuck around during my unintentional breaks and I hope you guys stay around till the end.

_**Disclaimer**_: I own nothing except my own ideas and characters (unfortunately).

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At some point, the gentle noise of the TV had put Jem to sleep. But he had remained true to Doug's orders; he stayed sober enough to keep an eye on Chrissy and now that she was completely knocked out, his job was done.

Of course he wanted to shift, to squirm away from her clingy, sleeping form. Having her pressed up against him was decidedly one of the most awkward situations. Unfortunately, the thought of waking her up an having to deal with a sleep and no doubt still drunk Chrissy was far less present so he had resigned himself to sleep.

Doug had risen with the sun, noting the silence of the house. As he stepped from the small bedroom he could hear the hushed voices from the TV. He knew it wasn't like Chrissy to be watching TV this early. Doug's gaze was instantly drawn to the couch and he had to quick bite back a burst of laughter.

Jem had his back wedged into the corner between the arm rest and the cushions while Chrissy… Oh Chrissy. She was curled up beneath one of Jem's arms, head happily using the ill-tempered man's chest as an improvised pillow. The faintest hint of a smile could be seen on her partially parted lips.

Doug knew that if anyone found out about the… 'interesting' sleeping arrangement, Jem would have his head. So, he shook his head with a grin and continued on his way to the small kitchen.

The muffled sound of cabinets accidently slamming shut and hissed expletives roused Jem from his sleep. With a groan, Jem stretched and opened his eyes. It took all of his self control not to quickly roll away as he realized that the woman was all but sleeping on top of him.

"Hey," he grunted, nudging Chrissy's head with a finger. When the girl didn't move he tried again. " 'Ey, Chrissy. Wake up." Each word was punctuated with a finger jabbing her arm. She let out a muffled groan as she turned to sleepily snuggle herself up against the man even more. With a sigh, Jem nudged her again, this time letting his fingers drum out an idle rhythm on her head.

Finally the sleepy gal opened her eyes and when she did she shot up and scrambled away from Jem the best she could. It took a few moments of frantic limb-untangling but eventually she had managed to less than gracefully get away. "Ohmygod," the words rushed from her mouth. "I'm so sorry. Oh god." By now she had flown to the opposite end of the couch and had buried her bright red face in her hands.

Doug poked his head around the corner, amusement plainly etched into his features as he watched Chrissy huddling at one end of the cough while Jem was rather stiffly sitting up. He undoubtedly was going to have a major crick in his neck and a sore back.

"Well if it ain't the two l-" "I sweah to fucking god Doug, you tell anyone about this…"

Doug would have been more surprised if Jem _didn't _react like that. He gave a light shrug of his shoulders, lightly padding over to the TV, turning it off. " 'Ey man, it's all good. Don't need to get uppity. I ain't that dumb." His gaze wandered over to Chrissy who had finally dropped her hands from her face only to tightly hug her knees to her chest.

One brow arched as she met Doug's gaze, asking Doug her silent question. He replied with a light pat on her knees and a hushed, "yoah fine," before walking away. It was probably best to leave the two be so they could sort out anything that needed to be said.

"You ah the most boring drunk I have ever met."

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Chrissy was about two minutes away from coming up with some lame-ass excuse just so she could out of the house. Doug had left hours ago, leaving her to deal with Jem- or Jem to deal with her, depending how you viewed the subject.

The cabinet door slipped from her fingers to slam angrily shut, forcing the woman to flinch and snapping her back into reality. There was only so much cleaning that she could do and Chrissy had already finished all of it.

"Hey, Jem?" She poked her head out of the kitchen. He was already back on the lumpy old couch with a beer in hand, eyes glazed over at whatever the TV was spewing out. A grunt was his only response.

"A bit early to be dinking, isn't it?" He let out a string of muffled words but she could've sworn he just said "it's five o'clock somewheah." She let out a light huff, almost amused by his response. "I'm gonna go out and grab some food, is that alright? I can grab you something if you want." Another string of muffled words ushered her towards the couch.

Propping her elbows on the back so she could glance down at Jem, Chrissy gave him a questioning look. His eyes were still focused on the TV. "Jem, you know nobody can understand you when you mumble." "I said just ordah some pizza." "But people aren't supposed to know that I'm liv-" Angry blue eyes had torn themselves away from the television to give Chrissy a warning glance, immediately shutting her up. "Right. I'll go order some. Pepperoni okay?"

She assumed his grunt meant so.

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Chrissy managed to expertly use her body to block the interior of the house from the delivery guy's view. Unfortunately, that meant she was awkwardly wedged between the door and the frame but at least Jem couldn't be seen napping on the couch. With a quiet thanks she paid the pizza man and slipped back inside, juggling the two boxes as she shut the door with her foot.

Boxes in hand she made her way to the kitchen, noting with a small smile how peaceful Jem looked when he was asleep. Stacking the pizza boxes on the table she quietly grabbed three plates – one for Doug, whenever he was going to be home.

With two plates of pizza in one hand, Chrissy still managed to pry open the fridge to grab two bottles of beer. She was almost unwilling to wake the sleeping bear, aka Jem, in the next room but she knew he probably hadn't eaten at all that day.

Nudging his leg with her foot provoked no response from the man so she ended up nudging him in the ribs. "Okay sleeping beauty, it's time to eat." Her foot was inches away, preparing to give him another nudge again when his had shot out, wrapping around her ankle. She let out a soft shriek of surprise. Chrissy's current situation was rather precarious, she now was forced to remain standing on one leg while balancing the food and beers; she just hoped that Jem didn't do anything to upset what little balance she had,

"Okay. Okay. Jem? Please let go of my foot. I really don't want to end up with pizza and beer everywhere."

That got him to finally open his eyes and to release her foot.

With a grunt he sat up, hands outstretched so she could hand him the plate and the bottle. Chrissy happily obliged and the promptly sat down at the other end of the couch, tucking her feet beneath her.

"Sorry."

"Sorry foh what?"

"You know damn well what I'm talking about Jem."

"Okay."

Neither one of them had broken their gaze from the TV during their brief conversation, each too absorbed in heir own thoughts to even consider glancing at the other.

As it would turn out, neither one of them were very sorry about the morning's events. Chrissy enjoyed the comfort of being pressed up against someone; she yearned for the warmth and affection of others. On the other hand, Jem was so very used to waking up with some random one night stand curled up into his side but Chrissy was different. She wasn't a one night stand or just some lady he kept around to sleep with. Jem wasn't too sure what all she was but he knew that much, she wasn't around just to be used.

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When Doug finally returned home, the first thing he noticed was the smell of pizza. He had no doubt that it would be cold but he didn't mind much. Pizza was one of the foods that could be eaten hot or cold and it would still taste good.

The second thing he noticed was Jem and Chrissy happily sharing the couch, almost like a couple. Jem took up most of the couch since he was half lying down but Chrissy was propped up against his bent legs, a makeshift backrest, her own feet and legs dangling over the armrest of the couch.

Doug noted with curiosity that neither of them scrambled away from each other as he walked through the room, even pausing to see what they were watching on the TV. It was obvious that they weren't sauced, so their current seating arrangement had been made with a sober mind. Definitely interesting,

"There's some pizza on a plate for you and a beer in the fridge. I dunno how warm the pizza is though."

Chrissy had broken her gaze from the set to turn and glance at Doug, a small smile on her face.

"I can make room on the couch if you want." "Nah, I don't think three people could fit on that old thing anyway." Doug had claimed the old, beat up recliner and kicked his feet up, suddenly realizing what they were watching on TV.

"Lockdown? Interesting choice."

"Well you know how it is. A channel decides to have a marathon of a remotely interesting show and then you get too lazy to change the channel." Chrissy shrugged, her head turned to glance at Doug.

"Why, you have something against prison shows?"

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The next time any of them dared to speak or move it was well past midnight. The marathon had ended at least two hours ago and since then the trio had been flipping channels, bouncing around from one show to the next.

With a groan, Chrissy clumsily rolled from the couch, her back protesting against the sudden movement. She was pretty sure Jem's knees had left an indentation by her shoulders.

Jem was busy dealing with a very stiff and very sore neck and back, soft cracking noises could be heard as he finally moved.

Doug was the only one who was unaffected by the time sent sitting, no doubt because he hadn't been stationary as long as the other two.

"C'mon Jem. Shoo, shoo," Chrissy's voice was a tad raspy from disuse as she nudged Jem along and off the couch. "That's my bed. Don't make me get Doug to drag your ass down the hall." There was a soft laugh from the kitchen from Doug. "I ain't carryin' that lump down th' hall. He can walk himself."

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"Hey, Jem?" "Yeah?" "You aren't really sorry about earlier, are you?" "Are you?" The way Chrissy glanced to the side, the light blush that tinged her cheeks spoke volumes before she actually did. "No." Jem let out a light, quiet laugh that was so unlike him that it drew Chrissy's gaze back to his face. A small smile tipped her lips upwards as she realized that she had answered both their questions.

Without any hesitation she quickly rose to her tiptoes and softly placed a chaste kiss to his lips. Her strong composure only last for a few moments before she quickly broke away and ducked her head slightly. "G'night Jem," she murmured before rushing out of his bedroom and back to her couch.

Her actions not only left Jem in shock but they left Chrissy in shock too. Not to mention she could feel her cheeks burning with embarrassment at her sudden and bold action.

Even as she lay on the couch, staring up at the darkened ceiling, the scene kept repeating itself in her head. The feel of his surprisingly soft lips, the way his eyes had widened slightly, equally shocked by her actions and the look of something more as she had turned to leave. If Chrissy didn't know better she would have said there was almost a touch of sadness in his face as she had glanced over her shoulder, padding quietly from the room.

With a sigh, she rolled to her side, frustrated that she couldn't get comfortable. She felt empty, like a strange void had opened up within her chest, pleading to be filled. Somehow loneliness managed to creep in even though she was sharing a small house with other people. With an almost sad realization she knew that it was affection and human contact that she was craving. As much as she would like to try and deny it, she wanted nothing more than to be by someone.

That's what drove her from the couch and down the dark hallway to Jem's room. The light tapping of her knuckles against the open door seemed painfully loud in the silence of the house. Taking a moment to mentally prepare, Chrissy gave a light sigh before quietly inching into the room. Small bits of light from the streetlamps shone through the opened blinds, giving her just enough visibility so she wouldn't trip over any of the furniture or scattered piles of clothes that littered the floor.

At last she had finally made her way to the bed where Jem was sprawled, half under the covers and half not. For a few moments she just stood, watching the gentle rise and fall of his chest as he blissfully continued to sleep. Although half of her was warning against this, telling her that crawling into his bed without any warning or invitation was a bad idea, the other half egged her on.

There was a soft rustling of sheets as Chrissy crawled onto the bed and burrowed beneath the sheets. Almost instantly she noticed the sudden warmth that Jem's body was exuding. With a content sigh she inched closer to the sleeping man, letting his warmth and scent surround her.

She would deal with any repercussions in the morning.

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A/N: I have no idea. Like seriously, no idea. But I want some like cute/fluffy stuff so yeah bear with me ahaaa. It's gonna take me a while to get back in the hang of writing…

_**R&R**_


	15. Chapter 14

A/N: Another one nighter! I make questionable decisions faaaar too often.

_**Hope and love: **_She's growing up so fast, isn't she? Aha

_**PiercedHeart114:**_ Right? Oh man, if her parents came back to town, oh god that's be hilariously uncomfortable… *stories that idea for later use*

_**Guest:**_ Of course I'll update soon! I won't be on a solid schedule but y'know…

_**NeedNotNoName:**_ Thanks so much! I kinda wanted it to feel like a real sort of relationship; it won't happen in one day but slowly and over time. Of course it's going to be one bumpy road but that's to be expected.

_**Julesjumper:**_ Aww, thank you!

_**Hsky16:**_ Good, I'd be sad if you didn't love it!

_**Little miss michelle:**_ Looks like you're going to have to read to find out if he freaks, what a shame, right?

_**Mandi Goldfish:**_ Looks like I'm gonna have to scratch that itch for ya!

_**Acey Spades: **_Your review totally made me smile and laugh. Spot on with the accent my friend, spot on. I'm glad that you enjoy this fic so much! :')

_**Guest: **_Oh they will. imeanwat? Glad you enjoy the story!

_**Disclaimer**_: I own nothing except my own ideas and characters (unfortunately).

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Both Jem and Chrissy continued to pretend that nothing had happened; that Chrissy hadn't woken up with one of Jem's strong arms casually draped over her side, pulling her close to his body.

Doug was smart enough to not bring anything up either. In his mind, what the two did behind closed -or partially closed- doors was their own business.

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It was an easy 3 weeks before any of them brought up the topic of the sudden shift in sleeping habits. More often than not, Jem would wake up to find that Chrissy had crawled into his bed during the middle of the night. Of course, he wasn't going to complain, not anymore. Had she been some random one night stand coming back to haunt him, it would be a different case.

But she wasn't.

It would be dumb for him or Chrissy to try and claim that there wasn't something between them.

Even then, neither of them really knew where they stood.

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More weeks had ticked by, days slowly melding into one giant ball of repetition. The majority of Chrissy's week was spent working at the bank where things had long last returned to normal. But there was still that underlying tension, the hint of fear. The memories of the robbing had remained fresh in their minds.

When Chrissy didn't head straight home from work, it was usually because she was spending time with Claire or on occasion, she was picking up food for the guys.

Of course her habits tended to scare both Doug and Jem; they had come to view themselves as her protectors.

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Gentle morning light had cascaded into the room, slowly warming the area. "Jem?" Her voice was soft, tinged with sleepiness. Soft hair had splayed over the pillow and loose strands fell to frame her face, fluttering slightly with her breathing. "Hmm?" His hot breath rushed against her nape as the pair remained curled up in the warm expanse of the bed.

Neither of them had moved since they had woken up. Instead they chose to enjoy each other's company for the short amount of time. Chrissy knew that these early mornings provided the only window to see through Jem's rather rough and tumble exterior.

A happy sounding sigh was the woman's only response as she pressed herself up against him, relishing the feel of his solid body against her back. At first the rough pads of his fingers brushing against her hips had startled Chrissy but she easily managed to once more relax into the touch.

"These from him?" He questioned softly, forefinger lightly skimming over the intricate pattern of scars that decorated her skin. The fact that she had stiffened slightly didn't go unnoticed by him.

"No," it was barely more than a whisper. "Then they're fro-" "Me. Yeah." Her words were clipped and her tone had grown cold, making it obvious that this wasn't her topic of choice.

"Why?" "Because. I didn't like myself? I was mad and made stupid choices? It became a crutch and then a tool I used to punish myself? Because I felt that if I couldn't love the skin I was in, that if I couldn't love myself, no one could?"

Chrissy buried her face in the pillow, ashamed of her reaction as she felt the stinging of tears in her eyes. She wasn't one to always open up about her scars, society wasn't accepting and most people simply didn't understand. That's not to say she was ashamed of the crisscrossing lines. In fact, she was almost proud of them—the helped to define who she was.

She felt Jem's arm wrap around her, pulling her snugly against him. He knew his question had set her off and it was something he hadn't intended.

"Hey, 'ey. Doan' cry now Chrissy," his words were soft, meant to comfort her. "Th' guy was too dumb t' see what he had." "Not all of them are because of him though. I mean, sure, he was the driving force behind some of it but…" Chrissy trailed off, fighting her words every step of the way. "But sometimes I was mad at myself, sometimes I was just bored."

A bitter laugh punctuated her words but her expression had hardened. "I bet you think I'm disgusting now."

"No."

As short as it was, his answer managed to soothe her troubled mind just a touch. She could feel him shift slightly behind her, the light flexing of muscles as he inched upwards on the bed so his chin could just barely rest on the crown of her skull.

"It's okay Chrissy, yoah with us now. Y' ain't gotta worry 'bout that shit no moah. B'sides, if he even comes within a hun'red metahs of ya, me an Dougie will make shoah he doan' do it again."

"Jem, I—that's not necessary. It was a pretty clean split for the most part and really, the chances of running into him here of all places are like slim to none." She had placed one of her hands atop his, absentmindedly interlacing her fingers with his.

The pair lapsed into silence for a few minutes, the only sound coming from their gentle breathing as they got lost in their own thoughts.

They were content.

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A/N: Whoooooooooaaaa I have no idea what just happened there but hey, can never go wrong with some fluff/hurt/comfort… right?

Right.

Sorry it was so short and stuff ahaaaaa plz don't hate me

_**R&R**_


	16. Chapter 15

A/N: So funny story, I opened up a doc to start writing and I noticed that I already had one labeled for chapter 15. So I was like "Okay. I can deal." Apparently I forgot I had written like 5 pages? Also, some shit might be triggering in this chapter. If it is, I'm so sorry. (self harm and mentions of abuse)

Anyway, sorry for the delay! Hopefully this will satisfy you, my lovely readers.

_**Julesjumper: **_Yay! I'm so glad; I always worry about scenes like that being too cheesy, y'know?

_**Disneyylandacidtrip: **_Good! Personally I love typing them out because I like being able to hear things, nice to know I'm not alone. And fear not, they will kiss again!

_**Neednotnoname: **_Yeah, he seemed like the more protective type. I'm not saying that Doug isn't protective buuuutt….

_**MatlockGirl: **_Oh it's more than sufficient! I'm glad you enjoy seeing Jem's more gentle side—as rare as it may be.

_**PiercedHeart114: **_ You may have hit the nail on the head with that one. imeanwat. And yes there will be other robberies but I'm not gonna elaborate on that…

_**Little miss michelle:**_ Foreshadowing is a wonderful tool!

_**Anne:**_ It's okay, I know how busy life can get! I'm glad you like the development of their relationship!

_**Guest:**_ Oh but I can, AND I WILL! /cackling

_**ILuvOdie:**_ Well don't worry, there's more to read right now!

_**BethanyLeeRenner:**_ I'm glad that the chemistry between the two is working out! I won't lie, it's a bit tricky. But I'm pretty proud of it!

_**Chillseaa:**_ Of course!

_**LivinJgrl123:**_ I'm glad you enjoy this so much!

_**Disclaimer**_: I own nothing except my own ideas and characters (unfortunately). I'm also shit at shout outs. Oops

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It was a few hours before either one had moved again; they were both happy to bask in each other's warmth and touch.

Chrissy had drifted back into sleep, back pressed into Jem as his arm remained draped around her waist.

He had remained awake a while longer, mulling over the recent influx of information from the woman. It was saddening that she had thought of herself in such a way, let alone the fact that she had turned the blade on herself. Of course that didn't change his opinion of her, just because she had a few scars from a rocky past didn't give him any right to change his view. She was a trooper, he'd give her that.

One finger idly traced the scars on her hip as he watched the gentle rise and fall of her chest.

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She had finally gotten around to buying a new cell phone, much to the relief of Jem and Doug. Of course, Chrissy didn't think the device was all too necessary; it's not like she was some kid who would sit around texting or talking on it all day. However, it did make it easier for the two to keep in contact with her –or was it the other way around? At least now she didn't have to rely on payphones to put calls in.

Her eyes darted down to the small screen, thumbs hovering nervously over the small keyboard as she quickly thought out the message she was about to send. In most cases, she would just send whatever came out first but miscommunication was a bitch – she learned that one the hard way.

**[txt: market on the way home. Want anything?]**

Fingers flew rapidly over the small keys, clicking softly as the message had been swiftly typed out and sent. The phone was placed on her near empty workspace as Chrissy began packing the rest of her belongings into her purse.

Only a few tellers were left packing up; they were usually the slowest of the bunch and spent most of their time joking around instead of cleaning up. If Claire didn't have a problem with it, then nobody really cared. After all, she was their boss.

The gentle buzzing of her phone caused her to jump in her seat.

**[txt: drinks and food]**

Of course. Somehow it had been decided that whenever they were running low on either one of those, Chrissy would be the one to pick up the food. Not that she minded that much but the guys' lack of specificity had a tendency to get on her nerves.

So they wanted food and drinks? Then they would get food and drink.

Chicken nuggets and soda sounded just fine to her.

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After her quick good-byes and a brief hug to Claire, Chrissy was striding happily down the darkening streets. The nightly chill had already begun to settle but it wasn't uncomfortable, it was more refreshing than anything.

Now the blast of chilly air that struck her as she entered the grocery store was anything but refreshing. With a huff, she blew a few strands of loose hair away from her lips. The lights were garishly bright in comparison to the dark streets.

Basket tucked in the crook of her arm, Chrissy made her way around the store. She was drawn to the produce section first, despite the fact that she knew she probably didn't have a bunch of money to spend. Even then, she grabbed a small bunch of bananas. If the guys didn't eat it –they probably wouldn't—then she would and she didn't mind.

One box of dinosaur shaped chicken nuggets, one two liter bottle of coke and a six-pack of Shock Top later she was at the checkout stand, carefully counting out the bills as the girl bagged her groceries. She gave a polite nod of her head and quiet "thanks" as she scooped up the two bags, somehow managing to balance them and her purse.

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With a groan she shifted the bags, struggling to grab the doorknob. Realizing that it wasn't going to happen any time soon, she gave to door a few solid thumps with her foot. When there was no answer she gave it a few more solid thumps.

"Hey, ya lazy asshats, open the door!"

That seemed to be the magic phrase; the door was inched open a few minutes later by a rather stressed looking Doug. She wordlessly stepped inside and made it all of two feet before a hand on her shoulder stopped her dead in her tracks.

"Keep yoah distance from Jem, he ain't in a good mood."

As if on cue, she heard the slam of kitchen cabinets and some choice words being shouted.

Doug easily pried a loose bag from Chrissy's arms, helping to carry it into the kitchen. When he saw the dinosaur shaped chicken nuggets he couldn't help but laugh. He knew that if they weren't specific with what they wanted, Chrissy would go out of her way to do things like that.

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"Easy there Sparky," she muttered as Jem all but slammed another cabinet shut. The rush of oncoming air forced her to cower and squeeze her eyes shut, an onslaught of undesirable memories dredging themselves up from the back of her mind.

The last time a cabinet had been slammed in her face, it had been followed by a sharp backhand. Of course it hadn't stopped there but Chrissy managed to squash down the remainder of the memory before it consumed her.

When she dared to open her eyes again she realized that Jem had backed up and Doug had strategically placed himself between the two of them. Chrissy had a deathgrip on the remaining bag, holding it to her chest so tightly that it threatened to crush the bananas.

With trembling hands she placed the bag on the counter and tore one of the bananas from the bunch. Each of her movements was painfully controlled and abrupt, she was angry to say the least.

"Food's in that bag. The other has got the beer." Even her tone was slightly distant and flat.

Chrissy was already out the door by the time Doug and Jem registered what all had happened.

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She didn't wander too far from the house; Chrissy wasn't dumb, it was night and she was alone. To go very far was just asking for trouble, but the park was close and still had one or two lights that hadn't been broken yet so in her opinion, it was okay.

The swings let out a creak as she slipped onto one of the cold plastic seats.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid!" She hissed; the fingers of one hand curled into a tight fist as she forced her nails to bit in to her palm. "So weak. Haven't you grown out of that already? You know what that means…" Chrissy let out a bitter laugh as she muttered to herself. Oh how people must have thought she was crazy.

"But you shouldn't do it, you said you would stop. But I never promised and I deserve it. I messed up…"

She let out a soft sigh, realizing that no matter how much she argued with herself, nothing would ever change.

It wasn't until her stomach growled that Chrissy realized that she still hadn't eaten but by now she had lost most of her appetite so instead she repositioned herself on the swing to cast a wary glance over her shoulder. "I'll go home in a bit."

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By the time Chrissy decided to head back, she was chilled to the bone but on the plus side, she was more relaxed.

She slipped in through the front door and the first thing she saw was a very bored looking Jem, his face lit up by the glow of the TV. He didn't even glance at Chrissy until the door clicked shut. "So-" He was silenced as Chrissy held up her hand. She didn't want to deal with this, not now.

"Go to sleep Jem." She didn't dare look him in the eye as she made her way to the kitchen to rifle through the fridge.

Surprisingly enough, the hot headed man complied and Chrissy cast a glance at his back as he quietly made his way down the hall. She waited until he disappeared into his dark room before she calmly walked over to one of the kitchen drawers and inched it open ever so slightly.

With a disturbing amount of apathy, she curled her hands around the pair of scissors and twirled them slowly before grabbing a change of clothes and making her way into the bathroom.

The running showed was loud in the enclosed spaced but it was easy enough to drown out. After double checking that the bathroom door was in fact locked, she slowly undressed and kicked her clothes into the corner.

"Don't do it," she murmured. "Too late."

She felt a gentle sting as she experimentally dug the tip of one of the blades into the skin just above her hip. They weren't as sharp as she desired but they could still get the job done.

Her fingers carefully curled around the other part of the scissors as she readjusted the blade before mercilessly digging it into her own flesh, dragging it down, down, down.

Almost immediately she could see the skin split and the blood well up. Still she was calm and uncaring; this was her release.

Thrice more the scissors bit into her skin, cutting though the flesh with ease. Then she moved to the other side and once again blood rushed forth. With each painfully slow slash, her anger faded.

In a way, the entire thing was cathartic.

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The warmth of the water had served its purpose; it broke the chill.

She was careful when tugging her clothes on; they weren't sore yet but she knew in a few hours they lacerations would be and she had no doubt that blood would still ooze out for a few hours more.

Chrissy decided not to crawl into Jem's bed. Instead, she sought out the lumpy old couch and curled up beneath the blanket.

She would deal with the repercussions of her actions later but for now, she no longer cared. She was drained.

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A/N: So I'm sorry if that was triggering for anyone but yeah. I'm also sorry that this seems like a filler chapter but it's better than nothing I suppose? I dunno. Yeah.

**R&R**


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